Lawmakers in Michigan will allow motorists in the state to ditch their archaic old metal license plates for sleek new digital license plates starting next spring.
California and Arizona began allowing motorists to use digital license plates in 2019 and are currently the only U.S. states where motorists are allowed to register a vehicle with them. That’s all set to change next year, however, when General Motors‘ home state of Michigan joins the fray.
Reviver, the company that manufactures the digital plates, is also in discussion with ten other states apart from Michigan that may be interested in using the technology in the future, according to The Detroit Free Press.
Reviver’s Rplate digital license plate runs through a smartphone app and offers numerous advantages over a regular metal plate. For starters, the plate removes the need for owners to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a plate or renew their registration sticker. They can also alert other motorists that the vehicle is stolen or display custom messages that are inputted via the smartphone app.
The Rplate is priced from $500 and users are also charged an annual $55 connectivity fee to keep it hooked up to Reviver’s servers. Only around 3,300 people have the digital plates in California and Arizona right now, but with Reviver now looking to expand to other states, they could become much more commonplace in the coming years.
Reviver also offers a more expensive version of the plate called the Rplate Pro, which features GPS tracking and can relay important telematics like vehicle speed and miles driven. This model is mainly used by fleet operators, Reviver told the Free Press.
While this is an aftermarket product that seems like a bit of a gimmick at the moment, digital license plates could one day be the industry standard. Automakers may eventually integrate digital plates into their vehicles from the factory, as well, which could completely negate the need for metal plates, in-person renewal, and registration stickers.
This technology could also remove the age-old problem of license plates negatively affecting the front and rear end styling of a vehicle, giving automakers more freedom to integrate the plates into the vehicle’s exterior design.
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Comments
This article is exactly why i enjoy reading GMA. Had no idea this existed. Cool.
Thanks Matt! We appreciate readers like you a ton!
Not sure why you got so many downvotes. I second, that the authors/writers here do a good job.
Good idea, way to much money! Get back to me when price is competitive with conventional plates.
Or simply get rid of registration stickers, like PA, CT and NJ. Data connectivity is so ubiquitous that law enforcement just runs the plate anyway.
Reminds me of the built-in toll tag. That seems to be a flop.
These seem not only pointless and gimmicky, but irresponsibly bad for the environment. Why in the world do we need batteries, screens, and electronics to replace recyclable, highly legible aluminum license plates? The amount of effort saved by not putting registration stickers on plates once a year is negligible, and if it’s a huge deal for fleet customers, charge them extra for a “fleet” sticker that stays on the vehicle permanently even though they have to pay for renewals. With police using automated license plate readers to watch for expired plates, the sticker doesn’t matter anymore.
Not to mention an aluminum plate looks 100x better than these! Other than being digital, where is the cool factor? They look like a 10 year old $100 tablet/Kindle stuck to the back of your car.
I can see hackers working these to read as other plates for radar and stop light cameras.
Nice idea just not worth that kind of money now.
Besides what will people hang on the garage wall?
I am just pleased Ohio has finally made only one plate required.
I’ll wait until these are compulsory. And, when enough state reps are bought off, they will be.
For now, it’s a needless gimmick. I’m a tech head and despite that, I’m just not interested.
Nice picture of the Camaro with a tilted rear license plate
Tech heavy solution to a nonexistent problem at an offensive price. Plates and/or the meaningless sticker can be ordered online and sent by mail. There is no convenience factor here.
There IS plenty to go wrong though between the climate and environmental conditions this electronic doodad will have to operate in and the potential for internet connectivity to enable mischief.
To me, it appears to prey upon idiots with serious tech-addiction and lookatmygizmo issues.
Plates can definitely be faked or stolen. If big bro really wanted to they could mandate access to a transponder in the car that would identify it by VIN, similar to how commercial aircraft are identified. V2v and v2x tech being deployed right now will enable such things. Just ping the car with a radio signal and the car responds with vin, current speed, whatever. Tollbooths and speed traps could be simple as a roadside wireless router.
Stupid people always follow stupid ideas.
Considering only 3,300 have bought these, there aren’t even that many people too stupid to fall for these!
What happens when someone steals your $500 plate? pass
This is a cool feature until it costs U $500 10 years from now when U buy Ur already ridiculously expensive new electric pickup truck. Technology always brings great features but maybe we need a break in the action for a little while with all this geek stuff…
Everything else gets hacked, why not this?
And, wait for it…….. the DMV can tack on another $250 for your vanity plate!
Some tech geeks have waaaaaay too much times on their hands.
If it ain’t broke,. don’t fix it
Almost a goofy as Illinois wanting to charge you for the mileage that you drive each year by forcing you to put an electronic tracker on the vehicle that you paid sales tax on, the highest fuel tax in the country that is linked to cost of living and a tax on the vehicle that you trade in.
Do we really need an electronic plate? How about a plastic plate that doesn’t degrade in the salt belt in 2 years and you get to pay for a replacement! Yeah…technology and I’m an IT guy.
Who wants this crap? Hackers and criminals so that they can change their plate number at will.
No way in hell I’m paying a 3rd party a fee to keep my license plate connected to their server. A 3rd party should not even have access to my license plate info.
If the car comes new in the future with a set digital plate number that’s permanent to the car like a Vin, then how can U get a vanity plate? But…maybe U can order the plate info that U want when the car is made…but if U do that and get a vanity plate, when U sell it the buyer is stuck with Ur selected vanity plate. Or..can the plate number be changed down the road…Seems too sticky of a situation to me..Too much BS for something not needed…
Those are cool. Makes sense to me
The innumerable invasion of privacy possibilities are astounding!
California already wants to track your mileage so they can tax you.
Can you see the plate people saying NO when a state cop shows up and asks for location data to prove you didn’t wear your mask in a purple zone? Of course not.
And insurance companies tracking your speed, etc?
This is another Big Brother idea.
I just want Michigan to bring back the old plates with had Water Winter Wonderland on them like they did from the late 50’s to the early 70’s.
This is stucking fupid. If douschebags worked on things that improved the world and life on it then the world would be a much better place. There are many problems with the licensing of vehicles already. Just buy a new car or truck and it gets stolen or totaled shortly after you pay taxes on it. They cannot transfer your plates or give you a refund. On a 60000.00 truck at 7 % taxes you just got f*coked put of 4000.00. Don’t ask me how I know!
Man seems like a lot of people here dislike Technology. Wonder where everyone stood during the hotly debated Flip Phones vs Touchscreens back in the day. I could only imagine how spirited people were about it back then HAHA
I love it when people keep stating they don’t trust new Tech due to their Privacy but are all over the internet and most likely never leave the house with the Tracking Device called Cell phones and for GM drivers something Called OnStar Lol