Unlike current radar-assisted offerings from companies like Infiniti, Distance Plus can control the vehicle in both highway and city driving conditions, meaning you can commute from Harlem to Wall Street down the West Side Highway while sipping your coffee and reading the Post Engadget on your mobile, glancing up occassionally to steer.

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Despite never running out of charge, I now understand the car's real-world range (worst case: about 210 miles with three passengers plus camera gear, driving on and off the highway on a below-freezing day) and, rather than getting stranded by the road, I spent four productive days with the car getting a solid feel for it.

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Three highway projects, including speeding travel to the international airport, plus a subway stop will better connect Barra to Rio's bustling beach communities of Ipanema and Copacabana.

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