BMW Previews Car That Changes Color 

BMW Previews Car That Changes Color

Editor: The German car company BMW recently showcased a “color changing” car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The BMW iX Flow, employs “electronic ink technology” that makes it possible to change the car’s exterior color.  An app is used to trigger the color change. The company even claims energy efficiency. 

By Dani Davis

OMG

I saw this come up on Twitter and I said, “Hell, yeah!” Cool as shit. How many times have you loved a car, but the color just wasn’t you? A bright yellow Mercedes comes to mind. Well, BMW has come up with the solution to that problem. The company has developed a car with an ink coating that acquiesces to the driver’s mood with just the tap of an app on the owner’s phone. So, on to what I learned about BMW’s dive  into driver psychology.

The News

Quite literally, BMW has a car that can change its color on demand. The reason is that the exterior has an E Ink coating. The fascinating feature of E Ink is that it can cover the surface of an entire automobile. Believe it or not, this is similar to the technology used in Kindle e-book readers. The BMW’s color changing car was featured recently here in the United States at the CES 2022 Trade Show in Vegas, where it got cheers; and a few jeers from the Twitter-verse.

Technology And Efficiency Merge

According to Stella Clarke, a BMW research engineer, one of the most exciting things about having a car that can change colors is the fact that one can pick and choose colors in accordance with the sunlight. While speaking at the launch of the concept car, she said, “On a hot, sunny day like today, you could switch the color white to reflect sunlight. On a cold day, you could switch it black to absorb the heat.” Currently there are limitations in color choice, but more options will be available soon.

Basis Of Technology

The basis of electrophoretic coloring is a surface coating containing numerous microcapsules. Every microcapsule contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. The application of precisely fitted e-paper segments pave the way towards achieving the color changing effect on the vehicle body. Highly technical design processes are implemented to ensure that the segments reflect the characteristic contours of the vehicle. The electrophoretic technology brings different color pigments to the surface when stimulated by electric signals. The entire vehicle body is sealed to guarantee uniform color reproduction during every color change after the segments are applied.

‘My Mode’ Offerings

BMW also has ‘My Modes’ inside the car which allows the driver to tailor the interior atmosphere to their taste and the driving experience they want. The company is now offering a novel way to adapt the exterior of a vehicle to different situations and personal wishes. Frank Weber, BMW Mgmt Board, predicts, “Digital experiences won’t just be limited to [color] displays in the future. There will be more and more melding of the real and virtual. With the BMW iX Flow, we are bringing the car body to life.”

Real or Virtual ?

Another striking feature of E Ink Technology is that the appearance of the vehicle can be changed in line with the driver’s aesthetic preferences, environmental conditions and functional requirements. New color variants will be added each year and BWM will continue to set trends. Soon it seems, a vehicle will become an expression of different moods and circumstances in daily life with the advent of color changing cars and virtual interiors. That slapping sound you just heard was my palm hitting my forehead in disbelief and sheer amazement.