One of the reasons that the 'car' industry wants to 'pay out billions a year' is because they can not put a patent on 'prior art', so if we talk about it here, then it is just about a worthless idea to the car companies that want to have the idea as a patentable unique selling point.
There is no profit in re-inventing the wheel.
Some of the things that battery motive automotive vehicles should take from battery motive industrial vehicle is a positive (mechanical, not electronic) method to disconnect the battery power from the electric drive motor, to be able to be positive there will never be a run away condition as was claimed about the Prius. If Toyota had a battery disconnect lever that opened the circuit between the motor and batteries, there would never have been a question as to the possible causes of the run-away.
Other lessons have to do with the science of battery recharging and just how much "regen" -really- happens (not just how much is generated, but how much the battery really gains).