Car Changing Colours: BMW IX Flow

 

Color Changing Cars: BMW IX Flow

Can you change the colour of your car to suit your mood and the environment? The answer is obviously no for now, but you probably can shortly.

At the Consumer Electronics Show, the automaker BMW introduced an improved model of its electric iX SUV that can switch from black to white depending on the driver's mood and how much electricity it uses.

The concept car, iX Flow, is covered in a type of "digital paper" that is also used to create the Kindle e-screen. reader's

An electrical impulse can cause this to change colour instantly, allowing the driver to match their vehicle to their personal style or the weather.

The BMW iX Flow concept was presented at CES

"Similar to fashion or the status ads on social media channels, the vehicle then becomes an expression of different moods and circumstances in daily life," said Stella Clarke, who headed up the iX Flow project at BMW.

So now with the push of a button, the BMW IX Flow concept car can instantaneously change from white to black and vice versa thanks to this technology. BMW has given this revolutionary technology the name E ink.

The IX Flow, which BMW claims is "The first automobile in the world whose exterior colour can be changed at the press of a button," was unveiled at CES as part of a digital programme live-streamed from Germany.

The traditional ink pigments used in the printing business are employed to operate the digital paper that was initially created by MIT Media Lab students and used to wrap the car.

With this technology, the car's exterior is covered in an electrophoretic film containing tiny microcapsules that react to positive or negative charges by turning black or white, respectively.

The car needs no electricity to hold its colour

BMW is presently working on adapting the technology for various aspects of the automobile, including the interior, even though it hasn't yet made plans to incorporate it into its actual fleet.

Future uses might include a dashboard that changes colour without overheating and a flashing exterior that can aid a driver in finding their vehicle.

Digital paper is laser-cut into a triangle mesh and wrapped around the car

Utilizing a generative algorithm, BMW created a triangle mesh pattern that was then laster-cut into precise segments to mould the plastic sheet to the curves of the vehicle.

The entire body wrap was warmed and sealed after being fastened to a circuitry layer to produce a seamless finish.

Other automakers have created concepts for vehicles that can alter their colour or shape, but as of right now, these are only rendered.

While the body of Renault's Morphoz can be expanded for long-distance travel or compressed to fit into small parking spaces, MINI's Vision Next 100 concept car has a roof that can change colour.