The BMW iX Flow can change color to increase its range

The BMW iX Flow is a chameleon car concept. Here’s why changing a car’s color can help reduce its energy consumption.

Changing color like magic—this is the unexpected innovation of the BMW iX Flow, a concept unveiled at CES 2022, alongside the production model BMW iX M60. This prototype of the Bavarian automaker’s electric SUV can indeed switch from white to black (or rather from light gray to dark gray) in an instant.

While BMW primarily promotes the aesthetic benefits of this innovation, giving the driver “the pleasure of change” and “the freedom to outwardly express different facets of their personality,” we focus more on the practical and ecological advantages.

Indeed, one could switch the bodywork to white to reflect summer heat and reduce air conditioning use. Conversely, switching to black could absorb heat and reduce the need for heating. Changing color based on weather conditions, potentially automatically, would thus help reduce energy consumption and increase driving range.

How does it work?

This chameleon bodywork functions exactly like an electronic ink screen on an e-reader (Kindle, Kobo, etc.). It is developed by the company E Ink, which specializes in electrophoretic coloration technology.

The body contains millions of microparticles filled with white pigments negatively charged and black pigments positively charged. An electric field—positive or negative—causes the pigments to accumulate on the surface as desired. Unlike conventional screens, an E Ink display does not consume energy to maintain a static image; current flows only during the brief change of state.

The iX Flow is currently just a concept, and BMW has not confirmed whether they intend to develop it into a production model.

Read also: BMW iX M60: the first BMW exceeding 1000 Nm is electric!