The latest Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has thrown up the usual weird and wonderful ideas for the future of motoring. In among the serious life-saving stuff on show, such as collision-avoidance systems, there is a fun idea from BMW. In 2021, grey was the most popular car colour in the UK. It was closely followed by black and then white. In all, almost two-thirds of new cars were painted in one of these three colours. But what if you didn’t have to make that choice? E-ink – that you would normally find in your Kindle – is the special sauce in a wrap on its iX Flow concept car that changes colour when a small electrical charge is applied. Pigments in the e-ink flip at the press of a button, giving you the chance to match your car colour to your daily mood.

An excellent way to show off to your mates, yet there is practical thinking behind the electrophoretic technology (…as the boffins call it). Changing colour could contribute to the efficiency of your car – white cars will reflect sunlight in summer and be cooler, while a black car will absorb the sunlight and warmth, requiring less heating. The result is magical and while this is very much a concept, you may see this rolled out to future exterior and interior applications.

No more agonising over the car purchasing options – I’ll have the one in all colours, thanks.

bmw.co.uk