Automakers and their suppliers are grappling with shortages of lithium-ion batteries and semiconductor chips. Safety-related recalls have been expensive. Yet this year's surge in EV sales sets the stage for a new phase of cross-sector innovation and development as grids reshape when and how they deliver power, and the oil and gas industry starts to lose its grip on transportation.

"This is one of the biggest transformations since the industrial revolution, and it's not just transforming what powers the car," said Josh Boone, executive director of EV advocacy group Veloz, which is backed by California's largest electric utilities, several of the world's largest automakers and a charging affiliate of an oil major migrating aggressively into electricity.

"It is a seismic shift in how the energy sector and the transportation sector interact," Boone said.

Veloz is part of the National EV Charging Initiative, a coalition of U.S. business and labor groups, state energy regulators and environmental organizations seeking to harness the capital necessary to launch coast-to-coast construction of charging stations — a critical missing link in the push for EV ubiquity. The coalition believes federal government funding is necessary to augment the billions of dollars the private sector is spending to create a charging experience that matches the ease of filling up on gasoline. Advocates see the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which awaits a House of Representatives vote, as a start; it includes $7.5 billion in funds for alternative fuel corridors and a nationwide network of EV charging stations.

"We are at a really important moment," Colleen Quinn, president of eMobility Advisors and organizer of the National EV Charging Initiative, said in an interview. "This is historic and critical to accelerate adoption, address climate [change] and support jobs."

Automakers, utilities and charging equipment vendors are working with regulators and EV advocates to overcome obstacles to their ambitious agenda, which include developing domestic manufacturing and recycling, and ending unethical practices in the extraction of lithium-ion battery metals.

"We're looking at how to clean up the electricity that powers these electric cars. We're looking at, how do we get more [miles] in our electric cars? We're looking at, how do we clean and decarbonize the manufacturing process of electric cars?" Boone said.

"This kind of effort requires shooting for the stars."