BMW Continues To Develop Its Revolutionary ‘Color-Changing’ Car Technology

BMW might have the ideal car for you if you've ever struggled to choose a color. Selecting a new car's color can take a while, as there are a lot of considerations to consider, including retained value and the laborious maintenance of waxing and polishing to preserve the paint job.
This color-changing paint technology, also known as electrophoretic technology or BMW's E Ink, was developed by Australian Dr Stella Clarke after being inspired by eReaders like the Kindle.
BMW first previewed E Ink on the black-and-white iX Flow concept in 2022, but the system has since been refined for the i Vision Dee concept in 2023 and the i5 Flow Nostokana earlier this year.
While there are obvious practical advantages to E Ink, such as the ability to turn a car white in hot weather, Dr Clarke believes emotional factors have influenced the public's reaction to the technology.
“I was in UI when I had this idea, so it was always supposed to be something functional because E Ink is wonderfully sunlight readable. With the sun shining brightly on it, it still looks awesome, but at nighttime you can also illuminate it,” Dr Clarke told CarExpert.

Let’s recap how BMW E Ink Colour Changing Technology Works;
The body wrap from iX Flow is made up of innumerable microcapsules that hold positively charged black and negatively charged white pigments. The outside of the car is composed of three layers: electrodes on the top and bottom layers, and transparent capsules in the middle layer.

An electrical field is created and the desired color rises to the surface when the driver presses the button to change the color. When it comes to energy efficiency, this is very good because you can change the color of the car without using any electricity at all, and the car will stay the color you have selected. When asked if BMW would pitch E Ink for its functional benefits if it ever went into production, Dr Clarke told CarExpert that the early response has revealed what customers want.

“They don’t really care so much for the functional stuff. I love that sunlight reflection stuff, but we have to be humble sometimes and realise that it’s not what everybody in the world necessarily likes.”
It is unclear when we will first see BMW's E Ink on the road, but the company is moving forward with its development for future concepts, stating in 2022 that this is simply a "advanced research and design project."