This is the impressive technology that allows this BMW to change color in front of your eyes

When we think of electronic ink, the first thing that comes to mind are images of ‘eReaders’, these devices designed to make the reading experience as close to paper as possible. But what if we used that technology for completely different purposes? The clearest example comes from BMW, which has decided to implement it on the exterior of one of its cars.

The German manufacturer has taken advantage of the spotlight at CES 2022 to unleash its imagination by presenting the most ambitious – and unique – personalization concept in the BMW iX M60, the company’s first M-series electric SUV. We say concept because certainly the production units of this car will not come with this technology, although we could see it in the future.

Press a button and match your shirt with the color of your car

We live in a world where customization is the order of the day. Imagine a future in which just as you choose the clothes you wear in the morning, you can choose the color scheme of your car. This idea, reserved until recently for science fiction, is closer to becoming a reality thanks to the huge possibilities offered by electronic ink.

BMW iX Flow, as the company explains in a Press release, allows you to change the color of the car exterior with the push of a button. As you can see in the video, the car goes from white to black and vice versa, although it also has the ability to acquire a kind of gradient effect between the body panels, thus achieving two tones.

The German company sees three potential benefits from this type of feature. First of all, unsurprisingly, the personalization. The car owner can choose the combination he wants before leaving home or, why not, at any time of the day.

The second benefit is the ability to provide information. Although we haven’t seen anything like it in the concept car unveiled at CES, BMW says the car could show battery status or blink in case the vehicle needs to be found, for example in a parking lot.

Lastly, the company mentions a “functional benefit.” Explain that the color change can influence the reflection of sunlight and, consequently, impact on the thermal properties of the car. If the interior is less hot, it could save some energy by having to use the air conditioning less, or, conversely, if more heat is retained, it could use less the heating.

How they have brought electronic ink to a car

BMW iX Flow project leader Strella Clarke explains that the idea of ​​bringing electronic ink to a car started many years ago, but that the steps involved to bring that idea to life have not been easy. To do this, the team had to resort to computer-aided design to create E-Ink “sheets” that go in every part of the car’s body.

Without going into technical details, let’s remember that E lnk technology contains millions of microcapsules with negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. These capsules are electrically stimulated to change color. according to the chosen configuration. In this way, the car body can immediately acquire the desired shade.

“We took the car as a large 3D object and divided it into sections,” says the expert, adding that they paid special attention to the curvatures of the SUV to achieve an optimal result. Thus, after several tests “on paper”, made the e-ink panels to measure and they installed them in the car with a top coating so that they can withstand harsh weather conditions.

Also, electronic ink technology, unlike conventional screens, for example, does not consume energy constantly. It only needs a small amount of electricity to change state. This means that the color can remain without requiring any electrical impulse, until the next change.

Images | BMW