(CNN) — The BMW Flow electric SUV concept can change color at the push of a button, going from white to gray or black and vice versa in no time. Although it can’t go beyond gray tones and still lacks the subtlety and depth of paint of a real thing, the effect is striking.
The trick is not accomplished with paint, but with a coating specially designed to fit the SUV’s body panels.
The coating uses the same type of electronic ink technology that is used in electronic readers. The colored panels were precisely cut to fit the shape of the SUV’s body panels and then electrical wiring was attached to each section.
The surface of the panels has millions of tiny capsules, each containing negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. Electric currents carry one pigment or another to the surface creating the different shades. Once the color change is complete, the panels maintain their tone without the need for an additional electrical charge.
The truck can be colored in a single tone or in different tones in different parts. Even the wheels can change color.
Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW’s chief designer, described the BMW iX Flow concept as “an advanced research and design project”.
BMW has not announced any plans to bring this type of technology to a production vehicle. However, the automaker cited certain advantages of being able to change the tone of a vehicle at any time.
First of all, you may just be craving it.
“This gives the driver the ability to express different facets of their personality or even their enjoyment of the outward change, and to redefine it every time they sit in their car,” said Stella Clarke, iX Flow project leader, in a statement from BMW.
Second, it can make the vehicle more fuel efficient and more comfortable. On hot days, a white bodywork could reflect heat, keeping the interior cooler and lessening the need for air conditioning. In contrast, a black bodywork absorbs more heat and helps keep you warm inside on cold days, reducing the need for heating and ventilation.
On the other hand, if it did hit production lines, the cost of body damage repairs could be just as eye-catching as the color effects.