With the BMW iX Flow, BMW brought super-spy movie color-changing technology to the real world. The all-electric SUV is outfitted with E Ink’s flexible display technology, which allows for autonomous management of parts across the body panels. That’s the same technology that powers your Kindle. According to BMW, the hue shift between light and dark surfaces can enhance energy efficiency since white surfaces reflect more light than dark surfaces. When the E Ink is adjusted to white, the interior will be more comfy. Notably, this reduces power consumption on the electric vehicle’s battery, increasing range. On cold days, the automobile could go dark in order to absorb more heat from the sun.
BMW envisions several applications for the technology, such as ” information on the surface of the car: the battery status on a car-sharing car, or we could make the car blink if you’ve lost your car.” The technology may also create patterns, stripes, or other motifs on the car to match the mood of the driver. Because E Ink is efficient, it only requires electricity when changing color states.
The Dee’s exterior skin is a film formed of electronic paper created by E Ink, a firm that also creates display technology for e-readers and mobile phones. Millions of microscopic microcapsules containing different color pigments change hues as electricity is applied to the coated segments.
E Ink also claims to be able to create its panels in any shape imaginable, which might lead to applications such as e-reader screens that appear like actual paper, as well as more energy-efficient digital signs and smartwatch displays.
BMW has not published engine or battery specifications for the Dee, but the concept car is also filled with futuristic electronics and software that will be accessible in automobiles on the road by 2025.
BMW’s Head-Up display, a digital dashboard that spans the entire width of the windshield, is one example. It also has a Mixed Reality Slider, which is a touchscreen that lets you select how much digital content appears on the dashboard, from driving speed and battery range to music controls and text messages.