Jay Leno recently got to check out the all-electric BMW iX. But this one is unlike any other iX that you and I can go put down a deposit for at the closest BMW dealership. This particular example has the ability to change color (black, white, and grey for now) and Jay really had some interesting things to say about it.

Overview

Now if you had the chance to visit the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas last month, it's unlikely that you missed this strange new BMW iX sitting at the entrance. This is the BMW iX Flow with E-Ink.

Jay apparently has always been a fan of the BMW brand. He, in fact, used to work at a BMW dealership when he was in his early 20s. Cars like 2002, the TII were game-changers according to Jay. He recalls driving one of the coupes back in ’71. Jay really was astonished by how smooth the engines were in those six cylinders.

The Bavarian automaker really was at the top of their game back then. Fast forward to today, Jay had Markus Brandly, a vehicle Analyst with BMW EETC join him to discuss more on this cutting-edge tech from BMW.

BMW iX

The iX is the first of many all-electric BMWs to debut after their i3 that came out nearly a decade ago in 2013. The BMW i3, though revolutionary, was way ahead of its time. Its futuristic exterior and interior garnered critical acclaim, but it was way too expensive and didn’t bring in the sales numbers that BMW may have wanted. Battery technology was also far more primitive back then, and after two generations, the little EV will be discontinued this year.

The iX represents the next chapter for all-electric BMWs. While BMW design today remains controversial, what they are getting right is the performance and range figures that potential consumers seek.

BMW iX Flow With E-Ink

E-Ink isn’t a new technology, but its application on a vehicle, now that's a first. It is the brainchild of Dr. Stella Clark, a research engineer based in Munich. She envisioned it on a BMW vehicle. After prototyping the technology, for a while, they finally managed to figure out a way to wrap it on a car.

The foil consists of millions of microcapsules. These capsules contain a clear fluid with electrically charged pigments. Now depending on the electric field applied, a color could be activated, hence helping you alter it instantly. In this particular case, the iX has just black and white, but technically, you could have almost any color you like. All this wizardry can be controlled via a smartphone app.

Now if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that this film isn’t limited to just the bodywork, but you find it on the wheels as well. Each wheel has its own independent battery module and works in tandem with the rest of the system. It consumes a negligible amount of power.

One of the biggest challenges that the team faced with this project was wrapping the foil around the car. This material isn’t as pliable as say, a clear bra or a vinyl wrap. It's far denser and each panel had to be meticulously created and then applied to individual body panels. Do note this isn't just limited to the exterior, you can have this foil applied to the interior as well.

The applications for such technology could be vast

- A new custom look on the fly

- Military Use for Camouflage

- Alter the thermal properties of the vehicle depending on ambient conditions

- A Giant Flash in case you can’t find your car in a parking lot

- To put on a display to sync to the beat of the music from your stereo

Imagine this, your car could be a giant canvas, essentially allowing you to display pretty much anything under the sun, based on how you program it, of course. Now, this could be a good or bad thing depending on where you are and how you decide to use it.

Out On The Road

Now, the performance of the iX is right up there with the very best. Jay was more than happy with the acceleration of the BMWs all-electric sports activity vehicle. To give you some context, the iX is round about the same size as a BMW X5 and has a 0-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds. There’s an even faster BMW iX M60, with 610 horsepower that debuted recently. However, out watching this distinctive color-changing iX in motion in the real world, now that's surreal.

To Sum It Up

Now, these are obviously early days. The technology while functional is still just out of prototyping, but this could change, and a whole new industry could soon be born. The possibilities really are endless, this is James Bond Tech, to be honest. I mean who needs those swiveling number plates when you could just change the color of your car altogether in a jiffy.

You can watch Jay Leno taking a closer look at this unique BMW iX in the video below