At CES 2023, BMW revealed its second generation of E-Ink, the color changing technology for a car’s exterior. The first-gen E-Ink tech was revealed at last year’s CES and, while impressive, was pretty rudimentary. This new second-gen is far more complex and capable. Now, it can change through 32 different colors, across 240 different exterior panels. Which means the entire exterior of the car can be changed and customized. Now that’s revealed, two questions remain: could it actually go into production and what could it be used for?
While at CES, we had the chance to talk to BMW Group’s Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk, who said there are “real world possibilities for an E-Ink production car [which can] change colors, display things.”
Well what sort of real world things could E-Ink be used for? Let’s dig into its potential for a bit and brainstorm what sort of real-world use cases there are for color changing exterior technology
At the moment, the only real way to communicate to other motorists that your car is in need of assistance is by turning on the hazard lights. Hazard lights have worked great for decades but a car whose entire exterior can flash colors or display messages is even better. Hazards can be vague. Someone might put them on just so other cars don’t hit them while changing a tire. But imagine being able to flash exact emergency messages, such as in case of a medical emergency. People could get the help they need quicker than ever before.
Personally, I feel as though bumper stickers should be punishable by death. No one cares who you voted for, how many kids you have, or which sci-fi franchise you’re a fan of. However, I get that people like to express themselves and add little personalized stickers to do so. But bumpers stickers can be annoying to remove and sometimes opinions change. Since E-Ink 2.0 has 240 different display panels, you could easily make one, or several, a digital bumper sticker that can be changed or removed on the fly.
If you…
