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BMW Individual gives 760Li a Sterling reputation

Standard chrome too plebeian for your taste? You can order a Rolls-Royce with its Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament made out of just about anything you want: gold, silver, glass... you name it. But if your sense of style is a bit less Anglo and a bit more Saxon, BMW has another option for you.
Feast your eyes on the BMW Individual 760Li Sterling edition. (But don't look directly at it. Don't you dare.) Crafted in partnership between BMW Individual and the silversmiths at Robbe & Berking, the special 7 Series is adorned with hammered sterling silver trim inside and out. The twin-kidney grille, the emblems, the interior trim panels... all hand-made in silver. So you won't want to park this particular Bimmer in the wrong neighborhood, because unlike the Rolls ornament, these don't retract safely under the hood.
The special edition gets a dark grey exterior tint and brown leather interior, the best to highlight the silver brightwork. Otherwise it's mechanically identical to any other 760Li (or so we would presume, as the press release didn't mention specifically), that being the flagship version of BMW's flagship sedan, complete with 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 at the front end of a long wheelbase. Check it out in the gallery above, including the build process at both BMW Individual and Robbe & Berking, and press release below.

BMW has the first smart emergency system for motorcycles

While cars and trucks have long had smart emergency systems to send help in the event of a crash (think services like OnStar), motorcycles have had to go without -- a scary thought if you've ever worried about wiping out miles away from help. That's where BMW might just save the day, though. It's introducing the first smart emergency tech for motorbikes, Intelligent Emergency Call, to give the two-wheel crowd a proper safety net. You can trigger it yourself, such as when you need to help a fellow motorist, but the real magic comes with its automatic responses. IEC's acceleration and lean angle sensors can not only tell if your bike falls or crashes, but time the call for help based on severity. A bad accident will call for help immediately, for instance, while a gentler incident provides a delay so that you can cancel the call. If things are dire enough for that call to go out, it'll send your ride's position at the same time. Don't expect to see this system in North America, at least not any time soon. IEC will first launch in Germany sometime in early 2017, and it'll spread to other European countries soon afterward. There's no mention of availability in other countries, unfortunately. However, you may well see equipment like this become widespread among bike makers eager to one-up the competition.Related Video: This article by Jon Fingas originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life. BMW Driving Ownership Safety Motorcycle Police/Emergency transportation gear

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla's new wheels, BMW Smart Transport Robots

Tesla has added a new standard wheel option for the Model S. The electric carmaker updated its configurator to include the 19-inch "Slipstream" wheels, replacing the standard five-spoke wheels. The Slipstream wheels look somewhat similar to the larger Turbine wheels Tesla also offers in the Model S. Recent deliveries may have included the new wheels, and one Redditor said he was surprised to find them on his new Model S. Customers can still opt for the 21-inch Turbine wheels or the 19-inch Cyclone wheels for additional cost. Read more from Teslarati. A scam artist who pled guilty to fraud for selling credits for biodiesel he didn't produce has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. Philip Rivkin will spend 121 months in prison with three years of supervised release, and is required to forfeit $51 million and pay $87 million in restitution. Rivkin pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of making a false statement under the Clean Air Act. "Today we take another big step toward upholding the integrity of an important program that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and promotes energy independence," says EPA Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles. She adds, "This sentence deters would-be violators and helps protect responsible companies that follow the rules." Read more from the US Department of Justice. BMW will launch its On-Street Parking Information service this year. By the end of 2016, the service will allow drivers in the US and Germany to find open parking spaces through their navigation system. It uses movement data of cars entering or leaving parking spaces to predict areas that are more likely to have vacant parking and direct drivers to those areas. Besides offering convenience, On-Street Parking Information could help save fuel that cars use while the driver searches for parking. BMW says trials in major cities have already delivered "reliable results." Read more at Green Car Congress. BMW is developing autonomous robots that move parts around its factories. The Smart Transport Robots can make their way to rolling parts containers and deliver them to where they need to be on the factory floor. The robots use radio transmitters and a digital map to navigate around the factory, but BMW plans to eventually upgrade to a more accurate 3D camera system. Powered by retired BMW i3 batteries, the robots have enough charge to last an eight-hour shift. According to BMW Vice President of Foreign Supply Dr.