Porsche Has A Wild New Patent For Vanishing Racing Stripes

Porsche has an interesting new patent filed in Germany. The brand's filings with the German Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt (Patent and Trade Mark Office) show Porsche's plans for a film applied to a car that can change color. The filings use racing stripes as an example, illustrating that Porsche could alter the color of the film by running an electrical current through it.

Porsche has a few ideas for the concept beyond just changing the color of a car's racing stripes, neat though that is. For one, the brand says the system could be used to outline the charging status of a future Cayenne Electric, so that the battery percentage is easily visible just by glancing at the vehicle. The other idea centers around drive modes: imagine the color of the car's stripes shifting from green or blue in an economical drive mode to red for sportier drive modes. Of course, if matched to the rest of the vehicle's paint, they could disappear entirely.

Images contained in the patent (above) show the film being used in several locations, including across the bodywork, on the rear wheel arches, and on the rear diffuser, which pulls air from under the car.

All of this may sound familiar. BMW displayed a concept at CES a few years ago, showcasing a "paramagnetic coating" on an SUV. The concept was able to change colors and illuminate various body panels individually, all controlled from within the vehicle. It's not new technology, but no automaker has managed to bring the technology to production in this way before. There are likely technical hurdles to overcome, but perhaps in using the film in a more narrow application, Porsche stands a better chance of bringing the technology into its lineup. For now, though, the idea remains just a patent. It could be years before Porsche implements this, if it ever does. Automakers have a habit of filing for patents simply to keep others from beating them to it.