√The Australian woman behind BMW’s ground-breaking colour-changing iX SUV

An Australian engineer is the brainchild behind BMW’s e-book reader technology that allows its new SUV to change colour at the press of a button.

BMW is developing a potential game-changing exterior colour-changing technology it hopes to make available on production models in future years.

Showcased on the iX Flow EV unveiled at the 2022 CES in Las Vegas earlier this year, it uses sheets of adhesive electronic ink, as used in e-readers and other devices, to allow the new SUV to change colour at the push of a button on the key fob.

The creation of Australian research engineer Stella Clarke, the new technology concept premiered with a black and white theme, though BMW says there is potential to provide other colour combinations, which could be chosen by the customer upon ordering.

The adhesive electronic ink technology used by the iX Flow EV incorporates millions of microcapsules, each the diameter of a human hair, together in what is known in industry circles as electrophoretic paper. They alter in hue when stimulated by an electronic field, allowing the panels to which they are attached to change colour.

As well as changing colour, BMW says it can program the electronic ink-covered panels of its latest concept car to provide different patterns and motifs, including a pulsating effect and racing stripes down the middle of the hood. Emergency services logos can also be created, claims the German carmaker.

BMW reveals the colour-changing technology has caught the attention of its designers, who see it as a way of adding movement to flat panels. The wave-like effect created when electronic ink is stimulated brings a new dynamic, it says.

To cover the iX Flow EV, sheets of electronic ink are laser-cut and laid over the body using an adhesive BMW has even covered the wheels, allowing them to change in design when requested. It is then covered in a coating of clear lacquer to protect it from the elements.

Current electronic ink technology demands flat surfaces, requiring BMW to make small incisions to each sheet to allow it to fit the curves of the electric-powered SUV. However, work is progressing an elasticised version that may allow it to be used in a process similar to existing vehicle wrapping.

The adhesive sheets do add weight, though it is said to be “negligible”.

The changing of colour requires very little electricity, so energy levels are not a concern either, says BMW.

Clarke reveals the idea behind the iX Flow EV came in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as she was attempting to create a car that changed with the mood of the customer.

With a period of quarantine restricting her to working from her parents’ house in Katoomba during the COVID-19 lockdown in the early part of 2021, she sent a demonstration video using electronic ink from a Kindle digital book reader to BMW manager in Germany.

“I made the video during quarantine at my parents’ house in Australia. It was important because not many could grasp the idea of a car being able to change colour instantly. It is not something we have had in the past,” she says.

The BMW board became interested and allocated three new iX vehicles fresh off the production line for further development.

Clarke, who grew up in Maroubra, studied mechanical engineering at the University of New South Wales and the Pennsylvania University in the USA. She also obtained a PhD in robotics at the Technical University of Munich, in Germany.

She joined BMW in 2007 as a research engineer on vehicle interiors. She currently works in the Future User Interaction Concepts department.

Clarke revealed to Drive that BMW is already in communication with German authorities to clear any possible regulatory hurdles with the electronic ink technology. However, she says it is still very much in its infancy.

“It’s a colour change, and instant colour changing has never been done before in the automotive sector. It can pulse. It can have waves. There are a lot of different possibilities. We are about to find out what the use cases are,” she says.

Although existing electronic ink technology is limited to handheld devices, BMW says it hopes to establish an automotive-grade standard.

Early testing has seen it place sheets of adhesive electronic ink into a chamber at its Munich based R&D centre at temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) and down to 0 degrees Celsius (minus 32 degrees Fahrenheit).

“It copes well, but if we want to offer it to the customer in the future, we need to do more,” says Clarke. “Temperature and humidity are clear concerns and we have to find the limit before we go further.”

Another hurdle is price. Up until now, the technology has been relatively expensive. However, the recent expiration of various patents could open the way for cheaper manufacturing methods, says the German carmaker.

As well as targeting the exterior, BMW admits it is also looking at applying electronic ink technology to interiors, saying it could allow a change in colour of the dashboard facia and other parts of the car.

The post The Australian woman behind BMW’s ground-breaking colour-changing iX SUV appeared first on Drive.