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Ever wished you could turn your black car white on a sweltering day? The chameleonic BMW iX Flow—the world’s first color-changing vehicle, albeit still a prototype—is wrapped in “E ink,” a 12-volt electronic coating that works something like a Kindle display and takes little energy to sustain, even in broad daylight. The flexible material was created in collaboration with a Taiwanese company of the same name. Though it’s only been made in grayscale so far (color is in the works), the potential is endless: energy savings amid an increasingly hot climate, of course, but also advertising and informational displays. And the fun factor is a huge selling point. “Aesthetics can’t be underestimated,” says BMW research engineer Stella Clarke.
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