Love the car but not its colour? Fortunately, German automaker BMW might soon have a solution for you.
The BMW iX flow featuring innovative E Ink technology has opened completely new ways of changing vehicle appearances.
E Ink technology allows vehicles to change colour in line with drivers’ aesthetic preferences and environmental conditions. An unprecedented offering of personalisation in the area of exterior design.
As such, the BMW Group is further driving the development of this technology so that personalisation is maximised both in the exterior and interior of future production vehicles.
Taking centre stage at the CES tech conference in Las Vegas, BMW unveiled the iX flow to a mesmerised crowd.
Switching between shades of black and white, the electrophoretic technology on display was truly an astounding digital experience to behold.
Frank Weber, member of the board of management, BMW AG, said, “Digital experiences won’t just be limited to 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.”
The impressive fluid colour changes are made possible by a specially developed body wrap that’s tailored precisely to the contours of the all-electric sports vehicle.
When stimulated by electrical signals, the electrophoretic technology brings different colour pigments to the surface.
Stella Clarke, head of project for the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink added, “This gives the driver the freedom to express different facets of their personality or even their enjoyment of change outwardly, and to redefine this each time they sit into their car.”
Though aside from aesthetics alone, variable exterior colour has the power to increase efficiency.
Taking into account the different abilities of light and dark colours to reflect sunlight and absorb thermal energy, selective colour change can help cut the amount of cooling and heating required from air conditioning.
Also notable, the electrophoretic colouring technology is based on E Ink that’s used in Amazon Kindles.
Just as the Kindle has, the BMW iX Flow surface contains millions of microcapsules with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a human hair.
Each of these microcapsules contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments which change by electrical field stimulation.
