She Changed Cars Forever
BMW Engineer Stella Clarke is revolutionising the way we think about car design. M2woman was fortunate enough to be invited to an event at Auckland’s Britomart Hotel to meet her.
Growing up and studying in Australia with much time spent in New Zealand, she’s now based in Germany, having worked with BMW since 2007. Stella’s background is a fascinating cultural blend. Her mother is Chinese Indonesian, while her father is Kiwi with Maori heritage – Te Reo his mother tongue – he opened the event with a mihi. Despite not having traditional engineering role models – her father didn’t even finish high school – Stella found her passion for technology early on. She credits her all-girls high school for sparking her interest in technical fields. Stella’s unconventional upbringing seems to have instilled in her a sense of curiosity and a willingness to blaze her own trail, qualities that have undoubtedly contributed to her remarkable success in her career and now at BMW.
With freedom to follow her passions, she developed a fascination for E Ink technology, the same passive display used in e-readers. Stella saw the potential to apply this color-changing tech to the automotive world, and her project quickly gained traction within BMW. After years of prototyping and pitching her idea, in 2022, BMW unveiled the iX Flow, the first car capable of seamlessly shifting between black and white. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with the car winning numerous awards.
A year later, they unveiled the Vision Dee, a full-color version of the color-changing on BMW’s Neue Klasse concept car. With 240 individual color-changing segments, the Vision Dee showcased the technology’s true potential. “People don’t need the functionality – they want the emotion,” Stella realized, as the car’s ability to match the driver’s outfit became a hit.
The team’s latest creation, the i5 Flow Nostokana, takes things to the next level. Inspired by a legendary 1991 BMW Art Car, this latest iteration boasts an impressive 1,349 color-changing segments, making it the most advanced application of the technology to date. Stella and her diverse team have overcome significant technical hurdles, from temperature and humidity resistance to perfecting the surface finish.
Stella sees potential for this color-changing technology spreading far and wide. Fashion, architecture, emergency services and even aircraft interiors could all benefit from the ability to dynamically alter their appearance. “We’ve inspired other industries,” Stella says, “and I think you’ll see accessories, watches, and more coming out with this technology.”
Stella exudes a palpable enthusiasm when discussing her work. At the heart of her drive is a deep-seated love for tinkering with gadgets and electronics. “I do think it is just a love of what you do. And in my case, it’s the love of tech and playing around with gadgets,” she explains.
Joy in the creative process is a key part of her spirit. She draws parallels to the satisfaction of building with Lego, noting certain personality traits that lend themselves to innovation. “… openness, introversion, conscientiousness…” she lists. “And I guess I belong to that crowd.”
Stella’s journey has been one of perseverance, innovation, and a deep appreciation for the emotional connection people have with their cars. As she reflects on her path, the engineer can’t help but smile at the memory of her childhood tinkering days, when her parents would find their tools hidden in the attic as she built her own makeshift creations.
Now Stella’s creations are captivating the world, and she’s proud to be a role model for young women interested in the male-dominated field of engineering. “It’s a mixture of school, inherent passion, and a bit of luck,” she says. Having charted the future of color-changing cars Stella is sure to continue inspiring the next generation of innovators.
