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BMW unveiled a vehicle with an exterior E Ink coating that can change color.
E Ink, the same technology that powers Amazon Kindle ebook devices, can now cover the entire outside of a car. At the CES 2022 technology trade event in Las Vegas, the business debuted the vehicle.
Munich-based BMW is utilizing it so that customers can show their personality by customizing their vehicles’ exterior and interior. With this vehicle, you can easily add anything like a racing stripe along the middle or instantaneously change the color from black to white.
BMW stated that, eventually, there will be a huge variety of colors available. However, the business is still evaluating how the modifications affect the colors of black and white at this time. The product has passed the company’s testing in a range of weather situations.
BMW vehicles come equipped with My Modes, which let the driver completely customize the interior environment to match their mood and desired driving experience.
With the BMW iX Flow with E Ink, the automaker provides a way to customize a vehicle’s exterior to various circumstances and personal preferences. At the driver’s command, the electronic ink’s surface can change its color.
Future digital experiences won’t be restricted to displays alone, according to a statement from BMW AG board member Frank Weber. “The actual world and the virtual world will increasingly converge. We are bringing the automobile body to life with the BMW iX Flow.”
A newly created body wrap that is precisely molded to the curves of the BMW all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle allows for the smooth color changes. The electrophoretic technology raises various color pigments to the skin’s surface when triggered by electrical signals, giving the skin the desired hue.
According to Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design, “The BMW iX Flow is an advanced research and design initiative and a superb illustration of the forward thinking that BMW is recognized for.”
In This Article...
BMW E Ink: What is it?
BMW introduces a color-changing SUV with an E Ink-specific body cover. The iX Flow with E Ink, a concept from BMW that would let customers alter their car’s exterior color by pressing a button, was unveiled.
E Ink paint: is it real?
BMW E Ink enables color customization for car owners. E Ink is a wrap made of multiple ePaper panels; it is not paint. Beyond routine customisation, there are useful applications.
What color is the BMW logo?
Estoril Blue, BMW This color was a close call with Audi’s Nogaro Blue, but we chose the BMW shade because we were reminded of the E36 M3, which is arguably the best example of the Estoril Blue aesthetic.
Is color E Ink a reality?
Few businesses currently produce color E Ink tablets using Kaleido, another color technology from E Ink. One of them is the PocketBook Color (very cool!). the Boox Nova3 Color, etc (cooler in theory than in practice)
Which paint brand does BMW use?
In 44 of the markets where BMW conducts business, Glasurit(r), BASF’s premium refinish brand, continues to be a suggested supplier of paint solutions. In 2020, all BMW authorized dealers and body shop networks will be able to refinish paint repairs on BMW and Mini vehicles using Glasurit.
The agreement covers the innovative bodyshop management systems and the dynamic paint, training, and digital color solutions portfolio of the Glasurit brand. According to Uwe Bauschulte, Global Key Account Management BMW Group, BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions, “This new arrangement with BMW shows proof of Glasurit’s overall strength and reputation as a trusted business partner.” “We are convinced that the high standards of BMW’s devoted automobile buyers will be met by our complete paint and color knowledge.”
In the same time frame, BASF is authorized to supply BMW’s ColorSystem refinish paint system in specific Asian Pacific regions, including China and Japan.
Glasurit waterborne solutions provide great hiding power, simple application, and ideal process times for any vehicle and every color. The Glasurit 90 Line series is a top option among automotive coatings for solid, metallic, and special-effect colors, and it always provides the best refinishing solution.
Glasurit will train the spray painters and owners of BMW’s body shops in the use of its cutting-edge “Glasurit Know-how” online learning platform in order to maximize the brand’s color excellence and make sure that BMW body shops can provide their clients with the greatest refinish results. In Glasurit Know-how, you may find production details, technical data sheets, e-books, and more than 100 training videos that address typical body shop inquiries. No matter what the process entails—spraying pressure, temperature, proximity to the object, or paint system—Glasurit professionals thoroughly explain each step and break it down into manageable steps. “Every BMW body shop painter worldwide has access to world-class and reliable training thanks to the premium learning platform Glasurit Know-how. As the agreement spans 44 markets worldwide, it is crucial that our customers can reach us whenever they need to, from anywhere in the world, regardless of the job or color they are working on “the head of global marketing for Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions, Fabien Boschetti, stated.
Glasurit provides a variety of digital color management technologies, including the integrated Color Profi System, as part of its comprehensive offer to BMW. With Glasurit’s RATIO Scan 12/6 next-generation handheld spectrophotometer, which accurately measures and adjusts the color on the car fast and effortlessly, millions of color formulations may be recreated quickly, conveniently, and practically.
BMW advises Glasurit automotive refinish paints in the following markets and areas in Asia Pacific:
Under the Glasurit brand, BASF sells a wide selection of automobile refinishing paint solutions with a focus on high-solids and eco-friendly waterborne basecoats. The products fulfill the same quality criteria as solvent-borne paints in terms of look and durability when employing these systems, and all regulatory solvent-reduction requirements can be met globally. The business provides a wide range of services in this field to help its clients. Most of the world’s top automakers have chosen Glasurit Automotive Refinish Paints for their aftermarket repair needs due to its competence in color.
E Ink paint: what is it?
The Advanced Color ePaper (ACePTM)-based E Ink GalleryTM is a premium, full-color reflecting display. Without a color filter array, the ink in the ACePTM system may create full color at every pixel (CFA).
Using solely colored pigments, ACePTM achieves a full color gamut, including all eight primary colors. The display makes use of a single layer of electrophoretic fluid that is controlled by voltages appropriate for use with backplanes for commercial TFTs. Both microcapsule and Microcup(r) structures are capable of incorporating the fluid. Instead of the side-by-side pixel colors produced with a CFA, the richness of the colors is accomplished by having all the colored pigments in every image element (pixel). The light attenuation, which can be fairly severe, is eliminated in this way. Under all lighting circumstances, ACePTM preserves the conventional E Ink ePaper’s paper-like readability and ultra-low power consumption.
How does E Ink function?
“Reflective displays” are the term used to describe E Ink displays. A backlight in an LCD, also known as a “emissive display,” shines light through the screen and into your eyes. No backlight is employed in an E Ink display; instead, ambient light from the surroundings is reflected off the display’s surface back to your eyes. Like any reflecting surface, the display seems brighter the more ambient light there is. Users of E Ink displays have said that they do not have the same eye fatigue as with LCDs while reading for extended periods of time due to this feature’s resemblance to conventional ink and paper. As a result, compared to utilizing a conventional LCD, eliminating the requirement for a backlight greatly lengthens battery life.
Does BMW actually have paint that changes color?
If you’ve ever struggled to choose a car’s color, BMW might offer the right vehicle for you. At the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the German automaker displayed its revolutionary color-changing paint technology, which has more in common with a Kindle than you might initially assume.
The color-changing paint technology is making its premiere on a concept version of the BMW iX that is being displayed at CES, relying on E Ink, the electronic paper technology used in e-readers, and the outdated Pebble watch.
A human hair’s thickness in terms of diameter and number of microcapsules per square inch make up the surface coating of the BMW iX Flow with E Ink. These microcapsules each contain negatively and positively charged black and white pigments. The desired shade of the car body is produced by either the white or the black pigments accumulating at the surface of the microcapsule in response to electrical field stimulation, depending on the setting selected.
Though the carmaker claims this is only a “advanced research and design initiative,” don’t hold your breath for seeing this at your neighborhood BMW dealership any time soon.
The novel paint job can be activated at the push of a button. White, black, and grey are the only colors available at the moment. BMW claims that despite the limited color options, it may have an impact on the effectiveness of its electric vehicles.
The manufacturer claims that a white surface reflects much more sunlight than a dark one. “By implication, altering the exterior to a light tint might minimize heating of the vehicle and passenger compartment as a result of bright sunshine and high outdoor temperatures.” Darker colors will help the car absorb more heat from the sun in cooler climates.
In the auto industry right now, “personalization” is a very popular notion. However, BMW is introducing the idea of personalization to the exterior of the vehicle, although the majority of the efforts are concentrated on the interior, modifying the software to recall the driver’s favorite vehicle settings.
Nobody knows for sure how resilient or weather-resistant this high-tech paint is. For instance, I doubt this would do well in a hailstorm. But disregard my advice. Changing color vehicle!
What’s E Ink made of?
A human hair’s width separates each of the millions of microscopic microcapsules that make up the two pigment electronic ink system from one another. Each microcapsule has positively and negatively charged black and white particles suspended in a clear liquid. The related particles travel to the top of the microcapsule where they are visible to the observer when a positive or negative electric field is applied. This causes that area of the surface to appear white or black.
We use our regular black in addition to one of seven distinct colored pigments for the E Ink PrismTM film. Prism was created especially for the architecture sector to give designers and architects new possibilities to modify places. Here are some details about Prism.
Without a TFT backplane or complicated electronics, the new E Ink JustWriteTM film offers a natural writing experience. JustWrite uses a two-pigment electronic ink technology, but it operates differently from our conventional inks in terms of how the ink is driven. In JustWrite, a magnetic pen serves as the “driver” to move the ink, and a small electrical charge is used to clear the display. JustWrite uses power just to reset the image and maintains the same image stability as all of our ink platforms.
What shade is BMW renowned for?
One of the most popular colors for BMW cars is blue, yet blue is never just “blue.” Instead, you’ll find, to mention a few, Mystic Blue, LeMans Blue, and Interlagos Blue. Despite the fact that they are all called blue, each color has its own unique tints and quirks that are unique to it.