This BMW can change its appearance at the touch of a button thanks to the same technology used in e-readers.
Currently, altering the outside color of an automobile requires a standard painting procedure. What if you could accomplish that by pressing a button, though? With the aid of E Ink technology, BMW is researching this feature, and this week the German carmaker presented a color-changing prototype automobile to CES 2022.
This electric SUV concept, known as the iX Flow, changes the exterior color nearly instantly thanks to the electrophoretic technology used in E Ink. How does it work? A unique wrap on the iX stimulates pigments of various colors to rise to the top. The color-changing effect can appear in stripes, blotches, front-to-back, side-to-side, and other patterns. These adjustments are possible because to the E Ink wrap.
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Implementing E Ink offers two major advantages. First of all, it makes a whole new realm of personalization possible by enabling owners to alter the color and style of their vehicle in accordance with their mood, circumstances, or other factors. The vehicle “becomes a representation of various moods and circumstances in daily life,” according to Stella Clarke, project manager for the iX Flow. The only colors available at the moment, though, are black, white, and gray, which is OK if your “various moods and circumstances in daily life” included being depressed on a rainy day. (I can identify.)
The further advantage? a rise in effectiveness. White cars will stay cooler than black ones on hot, bright days because they reflect more sunlight. Similar to how dark exterior hues help a car absorb more sunlight and heat on chilly days. Even if the difference is modest, BMW claims that it can lessen the amount of heating or cooling required to condition the car on hot or cold days, improving its overall operating economy.
The iX Flow’s wrap is formed of segments of e-paper, and it uses the same E Ink technology as e-reader tablets. Because of this, the iX can only change colors in the grayscale; but, as E Ink technology advances to support more bright colors (ideally), the iX Flow will be able to do the same. Even while the concept is cool, it’s impossible to predict whether BMW will ever put color-changing body panels into production.
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BMW displays a car that can change color.
Following a few weeks of initial teasers, BMW today unveiled its color-changing automobile at CES. The BMW iX Flow, as the German carmaker has named this test vehicle, is covered with what may be considered an e-paper-like material that BMW created in collaboration with E Ink.
Currently, the only color options we’re discussing are black and white (with a few gradations of grey in between), but that may change in the future. And because the electrophoretic technology in the iX Flow uses no energy after you’ve set up your favorite color and design, it is similar to how your Kindle’s screen uses no energy after the content has changed.
Obviously, the main goal here is to provide drivers more design alternatives for their vehicles. According to Stella Clarke, project manager for the BMW iX Flow incorporating E Ink, “this provides the driver the ability to convey different elements of their personality or even their enjoyment of change outwardly, and to redefine this each time they step 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.
BMW is now simply demonstrating how the entire exterior of the car may change at once, but you could easily picture the equivalent of e-ink bumper stickers or — because this is the world we live in — full-sized advertisements on the side of the car.
BMW contends that there are further factors at play, though. On hot, bright days, perhaps drivers should choose for a light surface rather than a black, heat-absorbing one (or the other way round on cold days). According to the company’s announcement from today, “this minimizes the amount of energy the vehicle electrical system needs and with it also the car’s fuel or electricity consumption.” “Thus, changing the color of an all-electric vehicle to correspond with the weather can also aid in extending its range. The interior’s technology, for instance, may stop the dashboard from overheating.”
At the end of the day, that’s a wonderful bonus, but what the majority of people will really want is a car that can change colors like a supervillain. But they won’t be receiving it any time soon. There is currently no estimated time of arrival (ETA) for this; it is merely an experiment.
The new BMW iX Flow concept car has color-changing features.
- This week, the German manufacturer showcased a brand-new concept car with color-changing “E Ink” called the iX Flow at the CES technology convention.
- Additionally, it demonstrated a brand-new 31-inch “BMW Theatre Screen” with Amazon Fire TV that is anticipated to be included in upcoming production cars.
- A specially designed body wrap that is molded to the curves of the all-electric car and resembles the material found in an Amazon Kindle E-Reader enables the fluid color changes.
Visitors examine the BMW iX Flow prototype at the BMW stand during the CES technology show on January 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. The iX Flow is a system that uses E Ink technology to replace conventional automotive paint, enabling the vehicle to alter color and appearance.
BMW doesn’t want potential customers to be concerned about the color of their next vehicle or the movies showing at the theater.
This week, the German manufacturer showcased a brand-new concept car with color-changing “E Ink” called the iX Flow at the CES technology convention. Additionally, it demonstrated a brand-new 31-inch “BMW Theatre Screen” with Amazon Fire TV that is anticipated to be included in upcoming production cars.
A specially designed body wrap that is molded to the curves of the all-electric car and resembles the material found in an Amazon Kindle E-Reader enables the fluid color changes. According to BMW, the electrophoretic technology causes the body skin to acquire the required coloring by bringing various color pigments to the surface when activated by electrical signals.
The color change is “sort of weird,” according to Stella Clarke, project lead for BMW iX Flow with E Ink, but it may also provide “some good use cases.” She claimed it allows for more self-expression, can show information like the status of a charge, and can blink if you couldn’t find it in a packed parking lot.
She remarked at a media event, “We see a lot of rational use cases behind it.
The real car is a new iX electric SUV from BMW, but the color-changing technology won’t be available in showrooms for a while. Although color-changing technology isn’t currently planned to enter production, Clarke said there may be “a road for” that in the future.
Concept cars are frequently used by automakers to test consumer interest, demonstrate potential technology, or illustrate where a vehicle or brand might go in the future.
Officials stated that although the BMW iX Flow with E Ink can only change colors on a spectrum of white, grey, and black, the technology theoretically might give more hues.
The “BMW Theatre Screen” is a 32:9-format, 31-inch panorama display with smart TV features and an 8K resolution.
According to BMW executives, “BMW Theatre Screen” production is much closer. It has a 31-inch panorama display with a 32:9 aspect ratio, smart TV features, and an 8K resolution. In order to display in the back row, the screen lowers from the vehicle’s headliner.
“We create engrossing digital experiences for pure driving enjoyment. When in Theatre Mode, the interior’s back becomes a personal movie theater, “In a statement, Frank Weber, a member of the management board of BMW AG. “A new level for in-car entertainment is developed with the 31-inch display, 5G connectivity, 8K resolution, surround sound, and individual streaming program.”
BMW has unveiled a vehicle that uses E Ink to change its color.
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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.”
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!