BMW will be introducing the new E Ink features on its car in the near future. The brand has already revealed the colour changing technology on its cars at the art and innovation festival on the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana. Now, the company is getting ready to make the E Ink available in the next 3-5 years. This will allow customers to have customizable colours on their BMW cars, without going to have to go through the trouble of having the whole vehicle re-sprayed or wrapped, costing thousands of dollars. The new BMW e-ink technology will also help reduce the heat in cars as the colours can be changed from dark to light.
The BMW e-ink technology is powered by electricity and each of its segment have two contact points. When a small voltage is applied the points the colour changes. And even when you take the power away the colour remains the same. Furthermore, even when the car is turned off, the colour stays there. This means that the colour does not require power to be there and it only takes about 20 watts to which is about the same as a single light bulb.
While the technology is quite cool, many safety concerns are still left un addressed. For one, changing colours while the vehicle is in operation is likely to distract other motorists. Also, it would be difficult for the police to find a vehicle if it has been involved in a criminal incident. In addition to this, there is also the question of serviceability and repairs of the colour which could rather make it expensive to reapply.
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