In a 2004 corporate report Toyota said the key to the improvements was its decision to switch to a high-voltage system.

FORBES: OutFront

Its high-voltage direct current system is delivering electricity to the British Petroleum platform in the middle of the ocean.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Main.net's system skips the high-voltage lines, injecting data into the grid further downstream, on medium-voltage (4, 000 to 25, 000 volts) lines.

FORBES: Technology

Severinsky's bright idea was to run the electric motor on a high voltage--say, 40 times the 14 volts that is standard for the electrical system in a gasoline car with a 12-volt battery.

FORBES: OutFront