Adding capacitors

The New York Times ran a story about a battery powered model car in Imperial College. In order to add extra capacity and smooth out battery charging, they incorporated capacitors in the sides and hood. Cute idea.

But, can't you just see fender-benders lighting up the road when a crunched door capacitor shorts out? Or hailstorms turning the hood into reactive armor? I don't know about London, but we get some pretty good-sized hail here from time to time, and if you are storing enough energy to move a car around you'll get some lively pyrotechnics when it shorts. The first vandal who tried to key the car would get a little surprise. (Ever dropped the wrench when trying to take the cable off a battery post? I did...)