The Consumer Electronics Show just wrapped in Vegas, and this year was heavy on car tech. 2021 felt like the year electric cars went mainstream and, judging by this year’s CES, 2022 will continue to bring more focus and innovation in the EV space. ⚡️👍🏻
On top of their other announcements, BMW used CES to demonstrate some bonkers eInk (like what’s in a Kindle) “paint” on a car, allowing it to change from black to white at the touch of a button.
The surface coating of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink contains many millions of microcapsules, with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a human hair. Each of these microcapsules contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. Depending on the chosen setting, stimulation by means of an electrical field causes either the white or the black pigments to collect at the surface of the microcapsule, giving the car body the desired shade.
Will this be practical in a ready-to-buy car? Probably not for a while (if ever), but I find it pretty fun.