Remember BMW's radical colour-changing car concept from 2022? The E Ink technology showcased in that iX electric SUV model went from using black and white to 32 different colours (on the i Vision Dee concept) in only a year.
But now another development is at hand: BMW has reportedly filed two patents describing what could be production-ready versions of its innovative colour-changing tech.
The first patent illustrates a decorative film that can be applied to three-dimensional surfaces. BMW wants to use different materials for this film, including static wood veneer.
But the two that enable colour changing are the smart glass LCD layer and e-paper layers. A customer can select between these options to enable either black-and-white or two-colour shifting via an in-cabin switch.
The second patent refers to the method BMW plans to use for applying the decorative film. It's simple adhesive, but whether it will come in a roll like window tint or pre-determined shapes to fit body panels is still unknown.
According to the patent, the film application process consists of three parts: First goes the decorative film (or carrier film, as the document indicates), next is a protective film layer, and last is a clear lacquer or an additional protective coating for maximum shielding.
If this colour-changing car tech does reach mass production, it could enable a wide range of factory customization options for current and upcoming BMW models.
But questions linger, especially surrounding retail costs and on-road legality in different jurisdictions. We imagine law enforcement won't be too keen about vehicles that can completely change colour at the push of a button.
The demand seems to be there, however, so it might not be long until you can have a BMW of any colour - at any time.