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The Mind-Blowing BMW Concept That Changes Its Colour
The BMW Flow electric SUV concept can change colours at the touch of a button.
It changes from white to gray or black and back again in a matter of seconds.
While it can’t go beyond grayscale, and even then, it lacks the subtlety and depth of real car paint, the effect is stunning.
The effect is achieved without the use of paint at all, but rather with specially formed wrapping cut to fit the SUV’s body panels.
The wrapping uses the same electronic ink technology that is used in electronic readers. The coloured panels were precisely cut to match the shape of the SUV’s body panels, and electric wiring was then attached to each section.
Millions of tiny capsules, each containing negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments, cover the panel surfaces. Electric currents drive one pigment or the other to the surface, resulting in the various shades.
When the colour change is complete, the panels retain their tone and do not require any additional electrical charge.
The SUV can be painted in a single colour or in different colours in different areas. Colours can even be changed on the wheels.
BMW’s head of design, Adrian van Hooydonk, described the BMW iX Flow concept as “an advanced research and design project.”
BMW has made no plans to incorporate this type of technology into a production vehicle. However, the automaker did point out some advantages to being able to change the tone of a vehicle at any time.
