THE CAR TECH COMING SOON

Here's a round-up of the exciting new technology on its way, with some set to debut as early as this year

- Jordan Katsianis

THE development of automotive technology is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Every year there are new gadgets, 'must-have' accessories and legislative requirements that are changing the way we interact with our cars. But not all new tech is good tech, so to cut through the noise, here's a list of the best features coming our way.

E-INK
BMW

AS seen on a few BMW concepts over the past couple of years, e-ink is essentially the same technology that's used for the screen on a Kindle device. It has low energy consumption and its display is robust, which means it could be used on the outside of the firm's future models to change the colour of individual body parts such as a grille or entire panels.

Unlike a traditional digital display that uses LEDS or LCD technology to create an image that's then backlit, e-ink uses an electrophoretic film containing microcapsules the diameter of a human hair. Each capsule contains differently charged white, black or coloured particles, which become visible when an electric field is applied.

BMW says this technology is well on its way to appearing on production vehicles, such as the Neue Klasse models launching from later this year. It could be applied across the car body to match the colour of the car to your mood.

FULL-WIDTH HUD
HYUNDAI