BMW's new innovation, a color-changing car

The German car and motorcycle maker partnered with computer paper specialists E Ink to make the iX Flow, the color-changing BMW, a sports car that fuses electronic ink into the outer shell of its body, and it is 100% electric.

Its creators took advantage of the attention of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 for the global launch of this model that puts electrophoretic innovation to the test and is committed to car customization.

With the push of a button, the vehicle changes color and an extra battery will not be required to start it. It uses the same technology that tablets have to read books, called electrophoretic technology.

BMW clarifies that the achievement of this effect on the vehicle body is due to the use of numerous unequivocally tuned ePaper fragments.

The coating contains many microcapsules, spaced equal to the thickness of a human hair, containing negatively charged white colors and positively charged dark tones.

Upon receiving the electrical stimulus, the pigments are activated giving the color of their surface as desired by the conductor, white or black.

Customizable vehicles

It is only the beginning, later we will see modified vehicles like this proposal from BMW. Although this time white, dark and gray tones are used, later we could see models with more striking and wild tones or calm and discreet, depending on the personality of the driver.

"The vehicle becomes an expression of different moods and circumstances of daily life," says Stella Clarke, who is in charge of the project.

Color changes can not only contribute to the comfort of people inside, but can also develop better vehicle performance.

When there is a lot of sun, and it feels too hot, the sensation diminishes by changing to a white hue that reflects daylight on the surface. Also, when the weather is cold, a thin outer cover will help the vehicle absorb heat from the sun. In this way, less energy will be used to heat or cool the interior.