German automaker BMW has unvieled a technology that enables you to change vehicle colour at the touch of a button.
The company showed off its new color-changing paint technology at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that shares more in common with a Kindle than you’d think at first glance.
This color-changing paint technology is making its debut on a concept version of the BMW iX that is being presented at CES and relies on E Ink, the electronic paper technology used in e-readers, and the old Pebble watch.
The surface coating of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink contains many millions of microcapsules, with a diameter equivalent which contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments.
Based on the chosen setting, stimulation by means of an electrical field causes either the white or the black pigments to collect at the surface of the microcapsule, giving the car body the desired shade.
The automaker has said this is just an “advanced research and design project” and the innovative paint scheme can be triggered at the touch of a button.
As of now, the colors are limited to white, black, and grey and despite the constrained palette, BMW says it could have implications for the efficiency of its electric vehicles.
“A white surface reflects a lot more sunlight than a black one. By implication, heating of the vehicle and passenger compartment as a result of strong sunlight and high outside temperatures can be reduced by changing the exterior to a light color. In cooler weather, darker tones will help the vehicle to absorb more warmth from the sun,” the company said.
