At the January 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada BMW just introduced a car that can change colors. This car, the BMW iX Flow, is the world’s first color-changing car, can go from black to white to gray with a few presses of a button. The color-changing feature that this new car has, was possible because of E Ink display technology.

The process in which the car developers went through to acquire this color-changing characteristic of the iX Flow was a simple but tedious process that had three steps:

The first thing that the group who developed this car had to do was turn the 3D form of the car into a 2D print layout. The group then had to cut the 2D print into many different polygonal shapes to perfectly match the car’s contours. This is how the E Ink display panels would fit onto the car.

The second step in the process of developing the iX Flow was to cut the E Ink panels with lasers. The shapes that the panels were cut into had to match the 2D print perfectly in order for the E Ink tech to fit on the car.

The team then added the final touches to the car. They added necessary wiring and carefully stuck each piece of the E Ink equipment onto the car’s exterior. The vehicle’s surface was then clear-coated to protect it from dirt and water that it might come across on the road. 

The iX Flow may be a dream car to many, but sadly, BMW announced that they will not be introducing this product to market yet because the E Ink panels that were heavily incorporated into the development of this car were too expensive. But that is okay. There are many cool cars out there that people can still buy; besides, BMW might introduce the iX Flow in the future. It gives people something to look forward to.