BMW debuts its new color-changing paint technology at CES: E Ink
If you’ve ever felt indecisive about what color vehicle to buy, BMW may have the car for you. The German automaker 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.
Relying on E Ink, the electronic paper technology used in e-readers, and the old Pebble watch, the color-changing paint technology is making its debut on a concept version of the BMW iX that is being presented at CES.
The surface coating of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink contains many millions of microcapsules, with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a human hair. Each of these microcapsules contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. Depending 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.
Just don’t expect to see this at your local BMW dealership anytime soon: the automaker says this is just an “advanced research and design 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,” the company says. “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 concept of “personalization” is very popular right now in the auto industry. But while most of the efforts are focused on the interior, tweaking the software to remember the driver’s preferred vehicle settings, BMW is bringing the concept of personalization to the exterior of the vehicle.
How durable this high-tech paint is and whether it can withstand extreme weather is anyone’s guess. I can’t imagine this would handle well in a hail storm, for example. But don’t listen to me. Color-changing car!!
If you’ve ever felt indecisive about what color vehicle to buy, BMW may have the car for you. The German automaker 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…
Recent Posts
- The newest Star Wars Acolyte trailer seems to reveal the show’s big bad
- 6-screen laptop manufacturer is very much alive — Acme Portable’s Megapac L3 is the original hexadisplay mobile powerstation and is still on sale, shame that it is still using old dual CPU tech from AMD and Intel
- ChromeOS gets better multitasking and Wi-Fi traffic prioritization
- Huge Google Pixel 8a leak includes all the predicted specs – and a price
- Huge Google Pixel 8a leak includes all the predicted specs – and a price
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011