At the 2022 CES exhibition, BMW's new flagship electric vehicle iX showed a body color-changing technology, the body color is freely switched between "black, white and gray" in an instant, and the degree of coolness is "five-star", once the technology was released, it attracted the attention and hot discussion of fans around the world.
According to it, the car, known as the iX Flow, uses electrophoresis technology in E Ink, which allows for almost immediate changes in its exterior color, with the body color being able to change immediately at the push of a control button.
It is reported that the iX body surface has a special packaging, which brings different colors of pigments to the surface through electrical stimulation. The effect of color change can be from front to back, from side to side, in the form of stripes, spots, etc. E Ink cladding enables this adjustability.
E Ink technology is a technology used for electronic ink screens, so iX can only adjust the grayscale color, the color change range is between "black, white, gray", but in the future, more color adjustments can be achieved.
BMW says the technology can improve the efficiency of electric vehicles: "White surfaces reflect sunlight more than black surfaces." This means that by changing the exterior to a lighter color, the heating of the vehicle and passenger compartment due to strong sunlight and external heat can be reduced. In cooler weather, the darker hues will help the vehicle absorb more of the warmth from the sun. ”
How durable this high-tech paint is and whether it can withstand extreme weather is uncertain, and it is unknown whether BMW will put color-changing paint into mass production.