BMW unveils a car that can change exterior colour at the touch of a button.
The iX Flow is wrapped in what is basically a form of e-paper, which BMW developed in cooperation with E Ink. It's the same electronic paper technology used in e-readers.
And just like a Kindle's screen doesn't use any energy after the content has changed, this technology doesn't use any energy after you've selected your preferred colour.
"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," says Dr. Stella Clarke, the project lead for the BMW iX Flow.
Whilst that may sound like you can only choose between white and black, and all shades in between, she also added that there was - technically - no limit on colour choices.
There's no word yet on when this new tech will actually be available on your new BMW.