The German automaker unveiled its new painting technology at the 2022 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, which also shares commonalities with the Amazon Kindle product line.
This is because BMW's solution also relies in some respects on E Ink, the electronic paper technology used in e-readers, and the previous Pebble smartwatch acquired by Fitbit.
The surface coating of the BMW iX Flow E Ink contains many millions of microcapsules with a diameter equal to the thickness of a human hair. They all contain negatively charged white and positively charged black pigments. Depending on the setting chosen, stimulation by means of an electric field will cause white or black pigments to accumulate on the surface of the microcapsule as desired, giving the body the desired shade.
However, the market is currently not planned, according to BMW, it is still an advanced research and development project.
The innovative painting scheme can be activated at the touch of a button. Colors are currently limited to white, black, and gray. However, according to the car manufacturer, this also affects the efficiency of its electric vehicles.
Because the white surface is able to reflect much more light than black, it can reduce vehicle and passenger compartment heating in strong sunlight and high heat. And in cooler weather, darker tones can help keep the vehicle warm, the company said.
As this development shows, personalized solutions are also becoming increasingly popular in the automotive industry. However, most manufacturers prefer to focus on the passenger compartment through various software enhancements and driver-preferred vehicle settings.
BMW now appears to be “looking out” of the interior. Of course, the question is how durable this type of painting solution can be, for example, in hail or a big storm, writes iotzona.hu.
(Source: autokalauz.co.hu; iotzona.hu | Image: pixabay.com)