When BMW first started putting E Ink on its concept cars, it was pretty cool, but felt like a bit of a gimmick. Now, the automaker has advanced the technology to the point where vehicles adorned with it can not only change color but also serve as dynamic art installations
Taking cues from the iconic E34-generation 1991 BMW 525i Art Car, crafted by Esther Mahlangu — the pioneer as both the first woman and first African artist to contribute to the series — the 2024 BMW i5 Flow Nostokana emerges as the first art car boasting a design as dynamic as the canvas upon which it is painted.
Fittingly, the creation of the new i5 art car involved Mahlangu’s collaboration. Its color-shifting exterior was achieved through the use of 1,349 sections of E Ink film, meticulously laser-cut and individually controlled.
Read: Watch BMW’s Color-Changing i Vision Dee Concept Rip Through A Rainbow Of Paint Schemes
BMW is the only company that as developed the technology to handle the complex curved surfaces of a vehicle exterior, as well as the animations you see above. The i5 Flow Nostokana features two strips along the side, and another two across the hood, roof, and trunk that contain millions of microcapsules whose color can be changed with an electric current.
The new Art Car represents the latest step forward for E Ink in an automotive context. BMW could only change the color of the E Ink from black to white when it first started applying it to vehicles in 2022. Last year, the BMW i Vision Dee concept showed that its vehicles could display up to 32 colors, and the i5 Flow Nostokana shows off the automaker’s ability to create complex shapes and patterns with precision.
BMW says that although the i5 Flow Nostokana will forever remain a one-off, the strips of E Ink that make its color-changing design possible are quite robust, which could make it possible to someday apply them to production vehicles.
To go with the car, BMW has partnered with composer Renzo Vitale to create a soundscape with which it will be displayed at the Frieze Los Angeles starting February 29. The composition was created using the feathers Mahlangu uses to create her exquisite paintings, as well as her voice. These were mixed with the sound of pencils being used by BMW designers.
“The BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA honors the history of the BMW brand and continues the story of our global cultural engagement in a unique way,” said Andrian van Hooydonk, the head of BMW Group Design. “It combines art and design through progressive technology. Here, technology itself becomes art.”
