One tiny element that was disconcerting in city conditions were parking sensors that seem to erupt at every corner, and the red alert diagram on the information screen did not help me see when a car was coming way too close, or if it was still over three feet away.

FORBES: Tis the Season for the 2012 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid S

Mr Aydogdu, 32, of Hindhead, Surrey, said he had only opened his car door a little to see if anyone was coming.

BBC: Kenan Aydogdu outside the Old Bailey

While the general public may still look at the electric car as a novelty, its advocates see the coming wave of new models and stations as a big step toward eliminating this country's use of oil, especially foreign oil, and helping the planet.

CNN: The new fear: Electric car 'range anxiety'

They're very clear that if you see a threat, a perceived threat, and it could be a white car coming towards you that doesn't stop and you fire at it, it keeps coming, you're allowed to take up the driver.

NPR: Oversight of Blackwater a 'Grey Zone,' Author Says