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Formula E gets wireless-charging BMW i8 safety car [w/video]

Racing series typically select a safety car appropriate to the kinds of racecars for which they'll be setting the pace. So you might find a Mercedes SLS pacing a Formula One grand prix, for example, and you're more likely to find a BMW M4 on duty at a DTM race and a Chevy Camaro or SS on an oval speedway for a NASCAR or Indy race. It would only stand to reason, then, that the FIA Formula E Championship kicking off next month in Beijing would press a plug-in into service as its safety car. But the organizers didn't go for your run-of-the-mill Nissan Leaf or Toyota Prius.
No, the safety car for Formula E will be a BMW i8 specially modified for the occasion. As you can see from the video below, the hybrid sports car packs a full roll cage, racing buckets with harnesses, special communications systems and on-board fire extinguishers. But that's not all.
In partnership with technological partner Qualcomm, the Formula E support fleet - including two examples each of the i8 and i3 - will feature inductive charging. So while one is out on the track, or at least sitting at the end of the pit lane waiting to be deployed - the other will be charging wirelessly. The vehicles are still pending FIA approval, and only one has been outfitted with the Qualcomm Halo wireless charging system (with the others to be retrofitted later), but they were all on hand for the recent practice race at Donnington Park.

Upcoming new Alpina B7 teased

BMW does not make an M7. It never has, despite rumors, trademark filings, and the actual desires of the people that would build such a car. That means that while we're stuck waiting for BMW to see how foolish not building an M is, the most potent 7 Series you can get wears an Alpina badge on the nose. Meet the newest version of that car... sort of. BMW and Alpina haven't taken the wraps off the next B7 just yet, opting instead for an opera-accompanied teaser of the new car undergoing track testing. The car is lightly camouflaged – there's enough to make it clear it's a 7 Series, but not so undisguised as to reveal too much of the Alpina bodywork. There's a more aggressive bumper, a meaty rear spoiler, and sharper side sills, along with what are probably Alpina-specific wheels, but more precise details are hard to discern. What isn't difficult to pick out, though, is ear-tingling exhaust note. The last two Alpina B7s have built on the standard 7 Series' engine, and this new model likely won't be any different. That should mean a breathed upon 4.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 which goes well above the unfettled car's 445 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. The extra power, along with the donor car's new lightweight carbon-fiber passenger cell, should make for tantalizing performance capabilities. The current 750i xDrive takes 4.3 seconds to make the sprint, and the B7 model that this new machine will replace hits 62 in 4.6. We'd expect the upcoming B7 will do better. The teaser from BMW and Alpina doesn't indicate when the new model will debut, but we'll eat our proverbial hat if it doesn't happen in Geneva. Related Video:

BMW unleases new M4 as MotoGP safety car

BMW has some considerable racing prowess to crow about, and draws on those credentials to create models like the new M4. But it's not about to rest on the laurels it's won at the end of innumerable races past and present. Mere months after the release of its latest performance coupe, BMW has already revealed a new M4 touring car for the DTM series, and has now unveiled its new M4 safety car for the MotoGP motorcycle championship.
Revealed on the BMW M Facebook page and set to debut at the front of the grid at the season opener in Qatar a couple weeks from now, the new M4 safety car is just the latest in a long string of official vehicles it has provided to the MotoGP series. Previous examples have included everything from the 1M Coupe to the M6 and the X6 M.
Like its predecessors, the M4 safety car features emergency lighting, special equipment and of course BMW's trademark white livery with red, navy and light blue stripes that, in this arrangement, give the new Williams Martini Racing livery a run for its money. Logos promote the BMW M Performance Parts you can buy to bring your own Bimmer up to spec, which on this car isn't likely have changed much from stock.