Way back in the ancient days of 2018, BMW came out with an all-electric concept car called the Vision iNext. The Vision iNext was an autonomous smart car with a range of nearly 400 miles and a 0-60 time of just 4 seconds. Like all memorable concept cars, it also contained some futuristic technology such as seats that know what you want by drawing on them with a fingertip and a “Hey BMW” voice assistant activation that mimics the way you can talk to your smart phone. It wouldn’t be a concept car without something out of the Jetsons, would it?
And though a lot of the more fantastical features have been stripped out of the final version of the BMW iX, the body style (changed subtly with such somewhat important things like side-view mirrors and more road-legal headlights) definitely came from the Vison iNext shell. As BMW’s first wholly electric SUV, there is a lot to like. It boasts a a 300+ mile range on a single charge, and will do 0-60 in 4.4 seconds. As an electric luxury SUV, it has bold styling and is both comfortable and sleek.
The BMW iX Flow: An Ex-Concept Car With A New Gimmick
Whenever a new concept car is unveiled, it is always interesting to see where some of the more dramatic conceptual features will end up in the company’s future cars. Who knew the body of the Vision iNext would be the basic blueprint for BMW’s first all-electric SUV when it was first released. What seems less usual, however, is a concept car that is primed for production, and then is presented with another concept tacked on top.
During 2022’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show), BMW presented a iX that looked a little different. And then even more different after that. Rather than changing anything with the interior of the car to make it appeal to a more tech driven audience, they wondered how they could change the car’s outward appearance. The answer they decided upon was eInk.
E Ink: A Color Changing Car for Practicality and Fun
E Ink is not a terribly new technology. Though it is described somewhat opaquely by BMW as “an electrophoretic film containing microcapsules the diameter of a human hair. Each capsule contains differently charged white, black or coloured particles which become visible when an electric field is applied,” the technology has been around since at least 2004. The usual application of this technology, however, is not a car’s exterior, but as the way the original Kindle—and pretty much any black and white e-readers both old and new—work. BMW wrapped the exterior of their iX Flow with the same technology that allows you to buy and read the newest John Grisham without leaving your armchair.
This means that with some digital programming, the possibilities are pretty much endless with what can be displayed on the side of the car. Though this concept only uses black and white, nearly infinite monochromatic combinations can be made. At its most basic, you can turn the car white so you won’t roast as much after getting into your car in the hottest day of the summer. You can turn it black to make the most of the weak winter sun. Or maybe, you could project that new Grisham novel right on the side of the car when you are waiting for your kid’s soccer practice to be over.
Though the technology is undoubtedly more expensive than a regular coat of paint or a metallic wrap—and also likely more fragile—it is incredible to see how applying this older technology in a new way can evolve both the function of the E Ink and the car. Though it’s unlikely we’ll see any of these roll into our Cincinnati, OH auto repair shop any time soon, we’d love to see it in the flesh.
