BMW Unveils Chameleon-Like Color-Changing IX Flow SUV at CES That Uses E-Reader Technology

Well, BMW just changed the entire game with the color-changing iX Flow SUV at the 2022 CES, which we first saw yesterday. The Flow comes wrapped in something called E Ink - a material used on the Kindle display, allowing the car to change colors instantly as long as it is a shade of gray.

The German automaker unveiled two products at this year's CES, the 2023 iX M60 electric SUV and a 31-inch screen integrated with Amazon Fire TV. The luxury car automaker launched a radical concept called the iX Flow to spice up the show.

BMW iX Flow uses electrophoretic technology to change shades from black to white or mix black and white in a kaleidoscope of graphics across its surface. Based on the electric iX SUV that debuted in 2021, the iX Flow uses e-ink technology to change the SUV's exterior color.

Christoph Grote, senior vice president of electronics at BMW Group, at a round table interview during the launch, said the iX Flow car dresses and expresses the driver inside out.

He added that BMW has created a technology and adapted it to a car that can make it possible. Grote also noted that changing the shade of a vehicle from dark to light while driving in hot temperatures helps efficiency and thermal regulation inside the automobile.

The German automaker worked with E-Ink to develop this game-changing technology for the automotive world. Launched in 1997, E-Ink has worked on the technology used by Kindle and commercial displays for Amazon and Sony.

BMW Group's Flow technology works by using a wrap covering the vehicle's entire body. This wrap comes with different color pigments. When stimulated with electrical signals, the pigments rise to the skin's surface, creating a change of shade.

The iX Flow is part of BMW Group's plans to develop human-centric products that stimulate all the senses. The automaker said it will spend $34 billion on future-oriented tech by 2025.

Frank Weber, a member of the BMW Group, stated that in the future, digital experiences will not only take place in displays but that the real and virtual will increasingly merge.