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The non-emissive e-paper screens found on e-readers are now entering automobiles from two directions — BMW has brought the technology to the vehicle exterior, while Covestro and Marquardt are integrating it into the door panels.
At this year's Beijing Auto Show, the BMW iX3 Flow Edition made its official debut. According to E Ink, it is the world's first vehicle to introduce E Ink Prism technology and move toward series production, with e-paper surfaces enabling the entire vehicle to change color. In the same month, Covestro, Marquardt, and E Ink jointly unveiled another solution: integrating a color e-paper display beneath the PU-coated textile surface of an automotive door panel.
Both vehicle color-changing and door-panel display applications use the same reflective imaging principle of e-paper — they do not emit light, consume very little power, and have a natural, almost printed appearance. The difference is that the exterior solution has already reached series production, while the door-panel solution is still being validated on the The Centum concept car.
E-Paper in Door Panels: Changing the Content Without Changing the Touch
The Centum is a concept car created by Marquardt to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The core goal of the door-panel solution is clear: to maintain the appearance and tactile feel of the PU-coated textile while integrating a color e-paper display beneath its surface.
Technically, the solution consists of three layers: the top layer is a PU-coated textile surface commonly used in automotive interiors; the middle layer is a fully transparent PU coating film developed by Covestro, based on its INSQIN waterborne polyurethane technology and using Impranil DLC-F as the base; and the bottom layer is E Ink's color e-paper display layer. The transparent film allows the e-paper content to be visible through the surface while maintaining the soft tactile feel and wear resistance of the textile.
Compared with LED backlighting solutions, e-paper has two fundamental differences:
It does not emit light. E-paper relies on ambient light reflection to create an image. During the daytime, its surface can look similar to ordinary textile materials, without the bright spots and uniformity issues commonly associated with LED lighting.
It consumes very little power. E-paper only requires power when the displayed content is refreshed, while a static image consumes no power. This makes it suitable for door panels, where the surface is continuously present but the displayed content does not need to change frequently.
From Vehicle Exterior to Interior: Two Routes for E-Paper to Enter Automobiles
E Ink's current automotive applications can be divided into two main directions:
Vehicle Exterior: BMW iX3 Flow Edition
The BMW iX3 Flow Edition represents the series-production direction. E Ink Prism technology is applied to the vehicle's exterior body surfaces, enabling the entire vehicle to change color. BMW describes the technology as "series-ready."
Vehicle Interior: Marquardt The Centum
Marquardt's The Centum represents the concept-stage direction. The e-paper display is integrated beneath the textile surface of the door panel and can display information such as air-conditioning temperature and seat controls. There is currently no announced production timeline.
It is not surprising that the exterior application is moving toward production first. Exterior body surfaces do not have the same tactile requirements as interior materials, making it relatively straightforward to integrate an e-paper panel onto the surface. Automotive interiors are more challenging: the display must integrate with textile surfaces, withstand temperature cycling, support touch integration, and maintain a soft tactile feel. Each of these requirements requires automotive-grade validation.
Three Technology Routes for Smart Surfaces
LED Transmissive Route — The Most Mature
Transmissive leather, wood veneer, and TPE materials have already been applied to door panels and center consoles in several production vehicles. This approach is mainly used for ambient lighting and hidden controls. The core technical challenge is achieving uniform backlighting.
Hidden Display Route — Moving Toward Mass Production
In this approach, the display is hidden beneath the surface material and becomes visible when powered on. The technology has already been introduced in some new vehicle models. The core challenge is balancing the requirements of the decorative layer: it must conceal the display when it is off while allowing sufficient light to pass through when the display is active.
E-Paper Reflective Route — The Newest Approach
This approach does not emit light and provides a printed-like visual appearance. The Centum concept car has only recently demonstrated this type of application. The main challenges are automotive-grade durability, environmental resistance, and cost, and the technology is still at the validation stage.
Smart Surfaces Are Becoming Part of the Interaction Interface
The direction of all three technology routes is the same: interior surfaces are no longer simply decorative elements; they are becoming interactive interfaces themselves.
As physical buttons are reduced and standalone displays become more integrated, information and controls are increasingly being embedded directly into material surfaces. This has a direct impact on CMF selection. When choosing materials, manufacturers can no longer focus only on color and tactile feel. Parameters such as light transmittance, display integration, and touch sensitivity are becoming equally important.
This transformation in cockpit interaction is also placing higher demands on the automotive supply chain, particularly in terms of materials, manufacturing processes, and collaboration efficiency.
