CES 2022 brought in groundbreaking innovations but one that really stood out was German carmaker’s BMW iX Flow Color Changing Car. BMW is terming it as the global first and revealed how they have employed the “Electronic Ink (E-Ink) Technology” for the vehicle.
This Color Changing Car can switch exterior from shades of grey to white, and more colors will be added soon. You can trigger the change in pattern using an application. The futuristic E-Ink tech is used for the first time in an automobile.
BMW says the “innovations combine creativity and digitization to produce great moments for the driver and passengers.” Alongside Flow iX, the German car company also unveiled BMW iX M60, which is a 620hp range-topping EV from the M performance division.
Held in Las Vegas in the first week of January, the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 performed up to the expectations, especially for the netizens who had their hopes high from BMW.
BMW iX Flow Color Changing Car with E-Ink Technology
If you have ever been confused that what color of the car should you take home, BMW is planning to solve your problem with its new car. The BMW iX Flow Electric SUV comes with the revolutionary E-Ink technology that allows it to change the color of its exteriors.
The driver or the passenger can change the color of the car with the tap of a button on an app. BMW unveiled it at the CES 2022 event held in Las Vegas last week. However, they have also mentioned that you won’t find iX Flow at your local BMW dealership anytime soon.
The best thing about this new BMW Color Changing Car is that it is also energy efficient. Stella Clarke, a BMW Research Engineer, claims that “This is really energy-efficient color change using the technology E Ink. So we took this material – it’s kind of a thick paper – and our challenge was to get this on a 3D object like our cars.”
Expression like you've never seen before 🧘♀️ Change your car's colour to fit your mood with the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink. #THEiX #BMWCES #BMW #BMWEInk @EInk pic.twitter.com/dSoqbBqJzt
— BMW (@BMW) January 6, 2022
She also adds, “My favorite use case is the use of color to influence sunlight reflections. On a hot, sunny day like today, you could switch the color white to reflect sunlight. On a cold day, you could switch it black to absorb the heat.”
As of now, BMW iX Flow can change its color to only the shades of grey, white, and black. But, more colors will be added soon as the project progresses in development.
You can take a brief look at BMW iX Flow in this video:
How does the BMW iX Flow Color Changing Tech Works?
The new BMW iX Flow uses the E-Ink technology that was first discovered in 1997 to change the color of its exterior. This technology has been used in products like laptop displays, digital whiteboards, personal accessories, and most prominently on Kindle.
BMW is finally introducing it to the automobile sector. The BMW iX Flow can change colors at the press of the button as electric signals that the app controls are stimulated. The electrophoretic coloring material of the exterior brings different pigments to the surface, and the shade changes.
The car features a specially formed wrapping cut to fit the SUV’s body panels and has the same type of electronic ink technology that Kindle uses. Electric wiring is also attached to each section of the colored panels.
The panel hosts millions of tiny captures, and each contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. The electric currents bring one pigment or the other to the surface to display the hues.
This is also the reason why the colors are only limited to white, grey, and black at the moment. When the color change is completed, the panels keep the tone without requiring more electrical simulation. Even its wheels are able to change color.
When will BMW iX Flow be available in the Market?
BMW iX Flow is still far from being seen on the roads. Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW’s head of design, terms the BMW iX Flow Color Changing Car concept as “an advanced research and design project.” So, you shouldn’t expect it in the market anytime soon.
Don't miss the opportunity to watch Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Design, and @nickishields presenting the debut of #THE7 at #GIMSSWISS. #BMWGIMS pic.twitter.com/A6ZIW2Mm0X
— BMW (@BMW) March 6, 2019
Stella Clarke has also mentioned that the latest innovation isn’t slated to go into production in the coming months but there could be “a road for” that in the future. According to the statements from BMW officials, we do not expect iX Flow to launch this year.
It could arrive and be available globally by 2024, or 2025. It definitely needs a lot of development before that. Also, the common public and the government have to get ready for the revolution.
Netizen Reactions about the BMW iX Flow Concept
BMW’s latest reveal left netizens amazed about the stunning look and the revolutionary tech of an EV SUV with color-changing abilities. Here are some of the greatest reactions to that:
BMW’s color changing car. Basically they wrapped a car with e-ink. It can go from black to white. #CES2022 pic.twitter.com/JJYPDEftkk
— Rich DeMuro (@richontech) January 5, 2022
I wonder if cars will be able to display your NFT as it's paint since @BMW recently revealed their car with color changing paint… #NFT #BMW pic.twitter.com/kLIMg0IItC
— Ghostface_Dilla (@Ghostface_Dilla) January 9, 2022
🤯 @BMW’s mind blowing color changing car at CES! #CES2022 #automobiles #bmwces @JimHarris @BMWUSA @BMWGroup pic.twitter.com/Bm1GKdHB3S
— Evan Kirstel #TechFluencer (@EvanKirstel) January 5, 2022
This BMW color-changing car is a potential nightmare for law enforcement.
— Mark Amaza (@amasonic) January 7, 2022
It is clearly visible that netizens are ready to welcome the revolution but they also have plenty of doubts about it. No one can predict the future but it is now definite that we will see the chameleon-esque car one day on the roads of Vegas.
Don’t forget to let us know what do you think about this latest innovation from BMW.
Amazing! A color changing car? BMW is really a driving machine.