Following the spectacular debut of the BMW iX Flow Featuring E Ink at CES 2022, the BMW Group is now unveiling a full-colour version of the E Ink technology in BMW i Vision Dee that will be used as the outer skin of the vehicle for the first time worldwide.
BMW i Vision Dee, rather than simply alternating between black and white, now showcases a multi-coloured, fully variable and individually configurable exterior. An ePaper film from the BMW Group’s cooperation partner, E Ink, is applied to the body to create this magical display of colour. Up to 32 colours can be displayed.
The body surface of the BMW i Vision Dee is divided into 240 E Ink segments, each of which is controlled individually. This allows an almost infinite variety of patterns to be generated and varied within seconds. The laser cutting process used to trim the films and the electronic control design were developed in partnership with E Ink. The adaptation of this technology for curved surfaces and the programming of the animations, were developed by BMW Group’s in-house engineers – enabling a form enabling a form of customisation that is unique throughout the automotive sector worldwide.
The user experience in the BMW i Vision Dee is largely defined by a projection of driving-related data and other information extending across the entire width of the windscreen. This pioneering form of visualisation also allows the real and virtual worlds to be merged using the mixed reality slider control in the Vision Vehicle’s cockpit. It will serve as the basis for developing an advanced version of the BMW Head-Up Display introduced by BMW 20 years ago in a world first for the automotive industry. The new system is already set to go into production from 2025 in the first Neue Klasse models under the name of BMW Panoramic Vision.
