BMW Introduces Cars That Change Color With the Push of a Button



Like the offerings of most luxury automakers, the names of BMW models and trim levels can sometimes be a mouthful. Unless you’re intimately familiar with the array of numbers and made-up words that represent engine power and features, the names are also likely completely meaningless to the average person. Now, BMW has a couple of new mouthfuls…….the iX Flow featuring E Ink and the i Vision Dee. As usual, the names don’t tell you much about the cars, but these two are a feast for the eyes. Both cars are equipped with color-changing technology that isn’t paint. Instead, it’s a kind of combination of a wrap like you would see on cars sporting advertisements and a super advanced version of an e-reader screen (i.e., Kindle or Nook). The wrap is super-thin, designed to adhere precisely to the dimensions of the cars, and cut with lasers to fit each body panel perfectly. The wrap contains millions of microcapsules, with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a single human hair. Each capsule contains a negatively charged white pigment and a positively charged black pigment. Apply electricity to switch the charge and the pigments change places to change the car’s color. Unfortunately, both cars are concept cars, which means the likelihood of BMW ever selling them are slim to none. Cost is the obvious drawback. What you would have to pay for one of the color-changing cars would make them unrealistic in the world of mass production.