BMW has teamed with E-Ink to create a cars that can change its color with a press of a button. BMW Group wants you to be able to change the color of your vehicle at any time.
BMW unveiled this feature with the iX Flow electric SUV, a vehicle whose color can change from black to white in a kaleidoscope of graphics using electrophoretic technology.
"The car dresses you, expresses you not just from the inside but also from the outside," said Christoph Grote, BMW Group's senior vice president of electronics, during a roundtable interview at the launch. Additionally, he noted that switching a car's lighting from dark to bright when driving in warm temperatures would help in efficiency and thermal regulation inside the car.
BMW developed the vehicle application in collaboration with E-Ink, founded in 1997, and pioneered the technology that powers Kindle readers and commercial displays for Sony and Amazon.com. BMW's e-ink application comprises a wrap that covers the SUV's whole body. Certain colored pigments in the wrap rise to the surface of the skin when stimulated by various electrical signals, changing the skin color.
At CES 2022, BMW presented the BMW iX Flow with E ink, a vehicle whose exterior color change with the press of a button.
According to Grote "The challenge is not so much with the technology but its application to the car. This is the most unique thing about the car. It has a three-dimensional surface shape. As a result, they're laser cutting it into a curved three-dimensional screen."
"Human-centric" products that excite all senses are a goal for BMW Group Design, according to Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design. BMW has said that by 2025, it will invest $30 billion ($34 billion) on future-oriented technology.
According to van Hooydonk during the roundtable interview, "digitalization is for us about the complete experience and emotions created with it."
