With its new color-changing paint technology, BMW may have the vehicle for you if you’ve ever been undecided about what color car to purchase. At the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which offered more resemblance to a Kindle than you’d imagine at first glance, BMW unveiled its new color-changing paint tech.
The color-changing paint technology, which is based on E Ink and the old Pebble watch, will appear in a concept version of the BMW iX at CES.
BMW’s color-changing paint technology: E Ink
The tiny microcapsules in the BMW iX Flow’s E Ink-based surface coating have a diameter comparable to that of human hair. Each of these tiny capsules contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. When electrical stimulation is applied, the white or black pigment particles collect at the microcapsule’s surface depending on the selected setting, giving the automobile a desired color.
Personalization and the automotive sector
This is not something that will be available at your local BMW dealership anytime soon: the manufacturer claims this is a “complex research and development project.”
The innovative paint scheme can be triggered at the touch of a button. Right now, the colors are limited to white, black, and grey. But 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.”
-BMW
In the winter, darker colors will aid in the vehicle’s greater heat absorption.
Among the most popular trends in today’s auto industry is “personalization.” But while most of the efforts are focused on the inside, BMW is applying the notion of personalization to the vehicle’s outside appearance.
