Even if automakers sold every one of the EVs they produced last decade, they probably wouldn't have made a profit. These were all first-run models with significant fixed costs that would only be paid down after thousands went out the door. This is true of all cars (and all products), not just EVs.Perhaps if they actually produced quantities commensurate with demand instead of just hand-building a few cars to meet the quotas set by California regulators car companies would've eventually made a profit on EVs. The point is that we can never know what would've happened, because automakers didn't TRY to make a profit. They decided in advance that EVs were a threat to their existing business model, and that it made more sense to try to have the law changed than to try to make a business out of selling EVs.What do you mean that automakers are having trouble creating a market for electric cars now? There have been exactly 0 EVs for sale by anyone but Tesla since the last few Rav4-EV were sold. If car companies actually offered EVs for sale plenty of people would buy them. Tesla's having no trouble selling theirs.Also, it's a fallacy to assume that the technology has improved just because time has passed. Since NiMH batteries have been effectively squashed by Chevron, we have to effectively start from scratch with new lithium batteries this time around. Lithium hold the promise of longer range, but it has significant cost and reliability problems that have yet to be solved.