BMW’s iX Flow was one of the biggest talking points of this year’s CES event, and with good reason! While this is just a concept car, the iX Flow has a special trick up its sleeve. Yes, it looks like an incredibly normal and somewhat boring car but, at the touch of a button it can completely change colour.

BMW has made use of colour-swapping e-ink ‘paint’ that means it can change effortlessly from black to white. Calling it paint doesn’t quite encapsulate the technology going on here. Instead, BMW has covered the car in a body wrap [1] with electrophoretic technology built into it.

Figure 1. BMW’s iX Flow colour changing car

Figure 1 shows the concept car also has a 31-inch “BMW Theatre Screen” with Amazon Fire TV that’s expected to go into future production vehicles.

The fluid color changes are made possible by a specially developed body wrap that’s similar to the material used in an Amazon Kindle E-Reader that’s tailored to the contours of the all-electric vehicle. When stimulated by electrical signals, the electrophoretic technology brings different color pigments to the surface, causing the body skin to take on the desired coloration, according to BMW.

The BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink can only [2] change colors through a scale of white, grey and black, but officials said the technology theoretically could offer other colors.

Though the color-changing technology won’t be show-room ready any time soon, Automakers routinely use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest or show potential technologies or the future direction of a vehicle or [2] brand.

In the future, the changes would also be controlled by a button on the car's dashboard or perhaps even by hand gestures. No energy is needed to maintain [3] the colour the driver selects.

Currently, the technology is still in its concept form. BMW says it is definitely doable, but there is no confirmed date. “We’re pioneering it and are [4] hopeful it will go into production. At the moment, we can’t tell you when it will come,” Clarke said.

References:

1. https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/future-tech-ces-2022/
2. https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2022/jan/11/bmws-new-ix-flow-becomes-first-ever-colour-changing-car-2405607.html
3. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/cars-uvs/bmw-ix-flow-is-the-worlds-first-colour-changing-car/future-possibility/slideshow/88828927.cms
4. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/automobile/bmw-ix-flow-showcased-at-ces-how-does-bmws-colour-changing-car-really-work-7915991.html

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022),BMW’s iX Flow colour changing car, Anatechmaz, pp. 162