BMW's Color-Changing IX Flow Is the Future We've Always Wanted

It’s an iX of a different color … and now a different one … oh, there it goes again.

Have you ever wanted to change the color of your daily driver? Of course you have. The options range from pricey re-paint to more affordable wraps, but on Wednesday BMW showed off another option, at least in concept form. What you see here is the iX Flow, and thanks to its fancy-pants wrap, it can change color at the push of the button.

As my old art teacher would insist, that isn’t technically correct, as black and white aren’t colors, but shades. You see, the iX’s E Ink exterior is monochrome, so it can only operate in grayscale for now. An electrical signal spreads across the surface, bringing different color pigments to the surface. It can be done all at once, or through complex patterns at different lengths of time. The electrophoretic technology is just like the stuff you’ll find in an e-reader. So once those start displaying actual hues, expect a future iX Flow to do the same.

There are a few benefits for this tech. The clear one: user customization. Feeling like it’s a white-EV-crossover kind of day? You got it. Want something a little more stealthy? Press another button.

But there’s also the efficiency angle. Black cars absorb more heat from the sun’s rays; white cars, less. Being able to swap a car over to black paint in the winter, and white in the summer, means less battery spent heating or cooling the car for use.

We can think of a few other nifty uses as well. Can’t find your car in a bright parking lot? Have it throw out a pulse of color. We do wonder how granular the control is, though. Could a hacked setup allow for … uh, less-than-pleasant words beamed at other motorists? Why, I never.

The iX Flow will remain a concept, for now.

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