BMW has created a car that changes color. It's stuff I'd expect to see in a James Bond movie, but it's real. It's called iX, and it's completely electric. Imagine a car covered in electronic ink. But what am I saying, what's the point of imagining it: you can see it, it's this. And he made his debut at CES2022.
Auto commands color
In the virtual demo that accompanied the presentation of the vehicle, the iX went from white (with some triangular motifs on the bodywork) to black in seconds. I imagine that with the same technology it will be possible in the near future also to insert motifs and textures, or to show the state of charge directly on the side, like a mobile phone.
However, the company confirms that, although only presenting the white or black colour, it is possible that the iX will be presented in other colours.
Possible future applications
While the demo is only changing the vehicle color between black and white, BMW says other colors are possible, opening up the possibility of true variety for consumers in the future.
And future implementations of this technology, as mentioned, will not be limited to body color changes. BMW explained that the technology could be used on specific areas of a car, such as the grille, to give it a different look, or even on license plates.
With a little effort I can imagine a future (perhaps not even very close) in which the car will change license plates depending on who drives it (with a form of insurance that can be "portable" on the person and no longer on the vehicle). I'm dreaming? Probably.
When will we see a series?
The panels E Ink they're well-known in the tech industry, and while they're most commonly associated with e-readers, they've also appeared in wearables, smartphones, tablets, and more. They are quite versatile in both shape and color, and can also be very suitable for the complex shapes of a car.
The panels house a bunch of transparent capsules with color pigments inside them, and when a current is passed through it, certain colors can be drawn to the surface. It sounds energetically wasteful, but it isn't: it only takes a very small amount of energy to make the car change color, and no energy to keep that color fixed.
