As a cyclist I love it! No more getting doored by idiots exiting their cars without looking. Well, I could still hit the idiot themself, but they're a lot softer than a car door. Given the size of a lot of auto drivers these days, if I hit them they would probably just :bounce: off anyway.
As for being made to work, why not combine both B-pillars into a single one, and relocate it in between the backs of the two front seats (where it won't get in anyone's way)? That would probably provide superior crash resistance for a given amount of structural mass compared to what we have now. Or the B-pillar can remain where it is now, and you have a pair of doors on either side instead of only one.
As for any worries about being near catalytic converters, like incandescent lamps, mechanical hard disks, or CRTs, the days of internal combustion engines are probably numbered anyway. By the time doors like this are designed into cars, there won't be any catalytic convertor or exhaust to worry about.