Month: April 2022

Enlarge / BMW styling is often divisive, and the new 7 Series will be no exception. (credit: BMW)

A few years ago, BMW told us about its electrification plans. Those plans involve an update to its cluster architecture (or CLAR) platform, which is now powertrain-agnostic thanks to a new floor design. And that means the next BMW 7 Series, due later this year, is available as a fully battery-electric vehicle, the $119,300 i7 xDrive60. There will also be a V8-powered 760i xDrive ($113,600) and a 740i ($93,300) that uses BMW’s inline six-cylinder engine, both mild hybrids, for those who aren’t ready to go EV yet.

People have been writing about divisive BMW styling for several decades now, and it’s fair to say the seventh-generation 7 Series will keep that conversation going. The squinty appearance is shared with the now-facelifted X7 SUV, although on that vehicle the effect actually improves the front’s proportions.

The 7 Series is now in its seventh generation and larger than ever. (credit: BMW)

I also see more than a hint of Rolls-Royce Ghost—built at the same Dingolfing factory in Germany—in the 7 Series’ profile. That may be down to the car’s growth spurt: at 212.2 inches (5,390 mm) long, it has grown more than 5 inches (129 mm) compared to the car we tested in early 2017. The new 7 Series is also about 2 inches (50 mm) wider and taller than before, although the wheelbase has only grown by 0.2 inches (5 mm).

Enlarge / Two views of hardware from the world’s largest electron microscope, which loomed over the event. (credit: Jonathan Hill)

C₆₄H₂₂CuF₆N₄: it is both a chemical formula and the technical specification of a car that won the 24-hour race held recently in France. No, not the one in Le Mans. This particular event, Nanocar Race II—dubbed “the race of the smallest cars in the world”—was held in Toulouse, with eight teams fielding cars of nanometric dimensions.

Each car was essentially a molecule. The race-winning C₆₄H₂₂CuF₆N₄ molecule, measuring three nanometers in length and one nanometer in width, traveled a distance of one micron (1 millionth of a meter) in 24 hours, the longest distance in the competition.

The wining car/molecule.

The car was developed by the NIMS-MANA team from Tsukuba, Japan. Jonathan Hill, the team’s constructor leader, was pleasantly surprised by the result. “We hadn’t done so well in the first edition of the race in 2017. We didn’t expect to finish in the top three this time,” Hill told Ars Technica.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)

Earth Day is April 22, and its usual message—take care of our planet—has been given added urgency by the challenges highlighted in the latest IPCC report. This year, Ars is taking a look at the technologies we normally cover, from cars to chipmaking, and finding out how we can boost their sustainability and minimize their climate impact.

Electric vehicles, power tools, smartwatches—Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere now. However, the materials to make them are finite, and sourcing them has environmental, humanitarian, and economic implications. Recycling is key to addressing those, but a recent study shows most Lithium-ion batteries never get recycled.

Lithium and several other metals that make up these batteries are incredibly valuable. The cost of raw lithium is roughly seven times what you’d pay for the same weight in lead, but unlike lithium batteries, almost all lead-acid batteries get recycled. So there’s something beyond pure economics at play.

Enlarge / The “Sword of Damocles” head-mounted display, the original augmented reality headset, circa 1968. (credit: Ivan Sutherland)

Amazon plans to join other tech giants like Apple, Google, and Meta in building its own mass-market augmented reality product, job listings discovered by Protocol suggest.

The numerous related jobs included roles in computer vision, product management, and more. They reportedly referenced “XR/AR devices” and “an advanced XR research concept.” Since Protocol ran its report on Monday, several of the job listings referenced have been taken down, and others have had specific language about products removed.

For example, Protocol wrote that the description for the role Sr. Technical Program Manager, New Products contained the phrase “you will develop an advanced XR research concept into a magical and useful new-to-world consumer product.” Now simply reads, “you will develop a magical and useful consumer product,” though it also says, “our team specializes in inventing new-to-world, category creating products using advanced sensing, display, and machine learning technologies.”