The BMW iX is a special model for the Bavarian brand and one that is said to shape the way the company moves forward, in this uncertain ‘electric future’ everyone’s talking about. The iX is bound to become the technology flagship of the Munich-based manufacturer and, considering how many innovations can be attributed to the brand, that’s nothing to scoff at. To mark the local launch of the new model, the people from the Romanian brand of the company decided to do something truly special.
To this end, they rented out the facilities offered by the building that’s hosting the world’s most powerful laser. That’s right, in case you didn’t know, the world’s most powerful laser resides in Romania, a few miles away from its capitol city, Bucharest. With a measured power of 10 PW (that’s PetaWatts, as in 1 PW equals 10 million billion Watts), the laser found in Magurele is used for a variety of purposes, all sorts of research and even trying to figure out answers to questions that have eluded humanity so far.
While the power this laser can emit is definitely impressive, the building itself is also a marvel, as it has a number of functions to cover, in order to make sure nothing goes wrong. For example, the temperature is finely tuned, using 1,080 heat pumps, while the flatness of the floor where the lasers are located is ensured by a concrete floor that weighs 120,000 tons, sitting on 1,000 dampers and specially-designed springs.
The car was actually unveiled to the select few who had the honor of participating in this event in the exact same room where a laser impulse measuring 10 PW of power was recorded for the first time. To make sure everything fit into place, the car was displayed using a laser show, with various images being projected on it, in a bold display of craft and ingenuity. Even the headlights of the iX featured Laser Light, to complete the spectacle.
The light show was designed locally and featured elements found on the ambient lights offered on the BMW iX as well as the graphic representation of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. The soundtrack of the whole scene was created using the hum the BMW iX emits when driving, created by Renzo Viale and Hans Zimmer, together with sounds produced by local artist, Electric Brother.
