The electronic paper technology used in e-readers like the Kindle is called E Ink. Electrophoretic ink, often known as electronic ink, comes in a variety of forms. When coupled to electronics and laminated on a plastic film, it produces an Electronic Paper Display (EPD).
Since a picture on an E Ink screen will not change even after the power supply is removed, E Ink is known to be bistable. It only uses electricity when it changes colors and doesn’t use any when it keeps the same color. The vehicle may change colors with less energy because to this characteristic.
Numerous small microcapsules with negatively charged white and black pigments make up the electronic ink. These microcapsules have a thickness comparable to human hair. The surface can turn white or black by applying the right stimulation with an electric current.
With this car, changing the paint job is as simple as pressing a button. However, since this is only a cutting-edge research and design project, don’t plan on seeing this car at your neighborhood BMW dealership anytime soon. Not to mention the robustness of this advanced paint and its capacity to survive harsh weather.
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Since its introduction in 1997, E-Ink technology has demonstrated its value in a variety of contexts, including laptop screens, digital whiteboards, and even personal accessories. At CES 2022, BMW showcased an e-ink vehicle exterior that can change colors based on the weather and traffic conditions, or just the driver’s attitude. This technology has finally reached the automobile sector.
In response to your initial query, no, despite being displayed at the exhibition on a live demonstration vehicle known as the BMW iX Flow with E Ink, this future technology is not yet ready for mass production.
The electrophoretic coloring substance is used as a vehicle body wrap and functions similarly to how e-ink displays do in Kindles. Millions of microcapsules, each holding a negatively charged white pigment and a positively charged black pigment, are inserted throughout the wrap. Applying an electrical charge to the substance will, depending on the environment, induce either the white or the black pigments to rise to the top of the microcapsule, changing the color of the vehicle in a matter of seconds.
The palette could potentially be enlarged to show the whole spectrum of colors, even if the current version can only switch between a pair of hues. In a prepared statement, Stella Clarke, Head of Project for the BMW iX Flow incorporating E Ink, said, “This provides the driver the freedom to communicate different elements of their personality or even their appreciation of change outwardly, and to redefine this each time they sit into their car.” The vehicle then turns into an expression of many moods and situations in daily life, similar to fashion or the status updates on social media channels.
E-ink external displays may also be beneficial for more practical purposes, including changing colors in response to the temperature to extend a car’s battery life (and hence its range) in cold climates or lessen the need for air conditioning in hot climates.
Their respective colors
Each person who shares a car with their partner, spouse, or other cohabitant could choose their preferred color. Who among you has ever purchased a car and been unable to come to an agreement because you like one color but your partner preferred another? When we purchased my wife’s Volkswagen Tiguan, it happened to me. My wife chose white, whereas I preferred dark moss green. Guess what shade we received?
BMW’s E Ink technology allows both spouses to choose their preferred color and simply swap between them depending on who is driving. The technology currently only supports two colors—any two colors, but only two—but a few would only require that. Everyone is content with just one hue for each couple.
With the push of a button, BMW’s E Ink Body Wrap can switch from black to white.
The news that another BMW driver has been wrapped won’t come as a surprise to anyone who lives close to a significant number of BMW drivers. The newest car wrap, which BMW presented at CES 2022, is a little cooler than the matte purple M4 you’ve seen driving around town, though.
The reason for this is that BMW coated an all-electric iX with E ink, which can change colors according on how you’re feeling. At the stroke of a button, it can switch from white to grey to black, which is still quite cool. Okay, so it can’t truly change colors as such.
The technology was taken from eReaders, which can switch between white and black depending on your mood or, as BMW points out, the current weather. You could theoretically keep your car dark in the winter and white in the summer to boost the iX’s air conditioning system because a black automobile absorbs more light.
Utilizing electrophoric technology, the ink functions. The body changes hue when electrical signals excite it because different color pigments rise to the surface. However, the ink just requires a stimulus to change color, not to keep it that way. This means that changing colors only uses a tiny amount of electricity and that keeping your car black won’t drain your battery.
To accomplish the appearance, BMW fitted the iX with many precisely fitting ePaper segments. It ensured that the segments would fit around the crossover’s shapes using generative design techniques, enabling the ePaper to be made specifically for it.
Future digital experiences won’t be restricted to displays alone, according to Frank Weber, BMW’s head of development. “The actual world and the virtual world will increasingly converge. We are bringing the automobile body to life with the BMW iX Flow.”
Unfortunately, this technology is still still a “advanced research and design initiative,” so your local BMW dealership might not provide that specific option.
The wrap’s ability to display words, like on your eReader, is also unknown, but BMW does claim that it may provide information like your battery life or essentially flash in a parking lot to aid in finding your vehicle. I, for one, would like having a car with the daily newspaper printed on it.
Based on e-reader technology, BMW introduces color-changing paint.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2022, BMW debuted color-changing paint technology and showcased it on an iX electric SUV.
The electrophoretic E Ink technology, which is also utilized in e-readers, produces the color-changing effect. According to a press release from BMW, the ink is made up of millions of microcapsules that are roughly the size of human hair and are suspended in an outer wrap.
Positively charged black pigments and negatively charged white pigments are both present in the ink. Pushing a button can switch the hue between white, black, and gray by altering the amount of each pigment that accumulates at the surface of the microcapsules. However, it also means that there are only those three hues available.
The ability to change a car’s color at will could allow for greater personalisation, but BMW also said that the technology might increase productivity.
According to the carmaker, color-changing paint might be utilized to regulate cabin temperature because a white exterior reflects more sunlight than a black one. On warmer days, switching to white could assist the interior cool down, while switching to black could help the interior retain heat. Therefore, there will be less need for energy-intensive climate control devices.
The color-changing paint will not be available on BMW’s production vehicles. However, the manufacturer also unveiled a more athletic iX at CES. In Sport mode, the 2023 BMW iX M60 produces 610 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque. BMW claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. This summer, the M60 will go on sale alongside the entry-level iX xDrive50.
What does BMW E Ink mean?
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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.”
BMW E Ink: Is it real?
E Ink was one of several announcements made by the automaker at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. It was first introduced on a research and design vehicle named the BMW iX Flow. E Ink is essentially a wrap that uses electrophoretic coloring technology.
Do automobiles really have E Ink?
The prototype for a “E Ink” system for cars was unveiled by BMW as part of their marketing display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas this year. E Ink-covered vehicles have the ability to change their outside color in a way that is quite chameleon-like. And not in a cheap manner either. More along the lines of, “Whoa, that’s absolutely CGI IRL.” (Use Keanu Reeves’ voice if needed.)
Stella Clark, the project lead for BMW’s iX Flow, described the company’s new E Ink as a means for car owners to express themselves in an Engadget article. They also customize their vehicles. It has a variety of purposes, according to Clark, who describes the E Ink in the BMWBLOG video below. From blinking if a driver cannot locate their automobile to showing information on the exterior of the car, such as the battery level.
According to BMWBLOG, the fluid color changes are made possible by a unique body wrap that engineers have specially designed to perfectly suit the contours of the all-electric vehicle. Different color pigments are transported to the surface of the unique wrap, which is “electrophoretic,” when it is triggered by electrical signals. This enables the car’s panels to take on either a black, white, or a combination of the two colors. (Since each pigment possesses a unique electric charge, magnetic fields can be used to control it.)
BMW’s E Ink, sadly, doesn’t appear to be entering the market anytime soon. We anticipate it would be a somewhat expensive add-on for the vehicle given the iX’s starting price of more than $83,000. Even said, it might still be worthwhile to experience being a cyberpunk soccer mom.