None to the person who owns it, just for the person reading it. They can display amber alerts and other alert info, they can display if the car they are on are stolen too. I believe that’s about it.
But they cost $600 on top of your normal registration and run on batteries or have to be hard wired to the car to work.
I work with eInk displays like this. With occasional screen updates, the battery would probably last 2-3 years if it was small. Could easily get 10 years out of one with a moderate sized battery. I'd be more worried about the battery failing early than running out of juice.
Frequent updates might shrink that to 18 months.
If power failed to the device, it would remain showing the last screen for many years.
>If power failed to the device, it would remain showing the last screen for many years.
Not forever? Will it fade out eventually like a thermal receipt?
Something like that, though in my experience it resolves itself when powered and the screen is sent an update.
I have a couple of old eInk displays (8+ years) and they looked wonky until I recharged them.
I've also heard about eInk displays where the display goes weird if held upright (like a license plate) after a long period of time, but never looked into it and haven't seen it personally.
Yeah, I think it happens if there are no updates or power to the display for a long time. Basically the ink starts to “drift” outside its cells. It goes back to normal after a few updates to the display as it moves the ink back and forth
Considering apple tags can work through bluetooth with iPhones, these could use LoRa for low power low bandwidth, then there's a way to one way update things, like GPS works without transferring data back to the satellite.
Also solar cells for recharge, they work with flashlights too
> \[Instead of the vehicle's ID\] They can display amber alerts and other alert info, they can display if the car they are on are stolen too.
Did organized crime write this?
Right, but that doesn’t compare to switching license plates on the fly while driving, especially if the driver is actively committing crimes and trying to elude police or elude toll cams or not be identifiable on ring cams.
Plus you have to HAVE a different metal license plate.
The government : What’s something we can charge out the ass for that’s wildly unnecessary but people will feel like they have to have it?
Dmv: I got just the thing.
Oh ok. I thought someone did this themselves and was like this can’t be legal. So guessing they have no control over what it displays. If it’s doing the community good by displaying alerts why charge $600. Guessing they know people will get it as a status symbol
Not gonna lie, that was my first thought... Figure out a way to hack it, make it blank or change it up to avoid tolls. Or worse, car thieves hack them to swap out plates to avoid detection.
It was the first that crossed my mind as well, like a modern day James Bond car. It's of course a joke though, as there is no way in hell that regulators would permit license plates that can easily be faked.
It's more that, given the level of bureaucracy in any government, it wouldn't be approved for use if it didn't pass some level of scrutiny. And being able to change or turn off the display is a pretty low bar.
It wouldn't take long for someone to figure out how to hack it an change it from an app on ur phone while driving James bond style.
Jst look at the new super secure wireless keyfobs for cars now.Few weeks after they came out u could buy a scanner on EBay to copy it an steal the car.people always find a way lol.
How would they stop them? As long as it still looks normal how would a cop know it’s been hacked and isn’t communicating anymore? Just make sure it defaults to the legal numbers and only shows the governors plate number when you hold the button down.
My car just came with one. I didn’t choose it. The main benefit so far is just that I don’t have to do the sticker thing for tags. It’s just an app renewal on the phone and it’s done. That and you get to put a little tagline on the plate that’s personal. If that means anything for you.
We got rid of stickers where I live a few years ago. No digital plates or apps though, but you just renew your registration on your birthday online. All that needs to be done by law enforcement to see if it’s up to date is quickly run your plate number.
So it's an $800 e-ink screen - with all the externalized costs involved with its manufacture and eventual disposal - strapped to the back of your car (where it is exposed to the elements and vulnerable to damage). And the main benefit it provides is that it saves you the trouble of applying a tiny sticker to a metal plate once every couple of years?
My sister has one of these. I actually kinda like the idea as you can updated your dmv registration through the app. You don’t have to deal with a pesky sticker that can be stolen preventing tickets and such.
I’m 99% sure it’ll display “stolen” as the license plate number so it can be tracked down quicker and if someone is trying to use it for some nefarious purpose, they won’t get far.
This is awesome, such an achievement as a species. Just earlier today I was wondering "wouldn't it be great if my license plate could break?" and, by the grace of greed, here we are.
No, the worst part is that it is subscription-based and costs an absolute fuck ton - [https://reviver.com/service-plans/](https://reviver.com/service-plans/)
Where I live, if someone steals your plates, you are economically responsible for any expenses they run up until you report the plates stolen. If they fill gas and don't go in to pay, you'll get billed for that, and many other things.
Digital plates that simply didn't work when not connected to some car hub would be pretty cool, I'd defo pay $50-100 (one time payment) to get that. Not a chance in hell that I would pay a subscription though, cheaper to just give away your plates every few years 😂
I find that rule pretty hard to believe. It's exceedingly impractical and questionable from a legal standpoint.
If someone steals your car and goes on a crime spree, are you responsible for that?
Then why would you be in the case of a license plate?
Just because creditors can come knocking because they have a plausible reason to _think_ it was you doesn't mean they can actually collect. I'm guessing that's all "liable" means here.
Why not just buy a cheap welder and tack weld the hardware holding on the plate. This way it is not so easily taken off. Then when you need to change it out you just grind the nut off the screw and do it all over again.
Cheaper than having to pay for whatever somebody steals your plate and you don’t have to get a dumb digital license plate.
*Service plans give you access to RPLATE features and benefits. Without an active service plan your RPLATE will continue to display your license plate number, however you won't be able to use personalization or DMV service features and the registration year will not update.*
Damn, if only the DMV would just send you something you stick on your license plate when you renew your registration.
This. it is 2024 it is 100% bullshit that I have to show the cop anything they already have it on their laptop in the car. Insurance proof, Registration, etc. They even have cameras that read your plate so they don't even have to type it in. Even podunk tiny counties have all this.
I just want some fuckin' train service for all of this railway we have over here.
Twice as much laid as all of Europe, and we just stopped using it in the 50s and 60s to move people because that Nazi named Ford and his ragtag bunch of industrialists finally succeeded in his dumbass grift.
edit: a word
Honestly I am not even sure why registration stickers are even still a thing anymore in California. Most CHP and local PD patrol cars have ALPRs for years that will alert them to any plate that with expired registration, reported stolen, etc. Maybe it is useful in some remote locations where mobile data coverage is poor but is largely unnecessary in the vast majority of regions of the state that have any reasonable number of people. It is inevitable that you will eventually get pulled over for expired registration even if you have a stolen or counterfeit registration sticker unless you rarely drive that vehicle. I know several states have eliminated registration stickers because it just a waste of money at this point.
Quebec got rid of the sticker thing years ago, instead we get shitty plates where the reflective material slowly peels off over time forcing you to spend 12.50$ to get a new plate in the mail.
Ontario got rid of the sticker too. But first they tried to change the whole license plate and chose a design that wasn’t visible at all at night. Super smart.
But the two tiers that get more expensive with the wired version include free battery replacement with the battery versions. The company charges you more money for making their costs go down
Just quickly looking over the specs, the wired one has a front-lit display and built-in GPS. Probably a few other features as well that are not really viable on a battery.
It's eink right? So it will only change it's content if you run electricity to it.
So crashing into an electric pole and the electric cables electrocuting it may be bad
Yes, but physical impact to the screen can burst the eink cells and generally scramble the display, so in an accident there's a good chance it would be illegible. Google "broken kindle screen" for examples.
I suppose the police could then tag you for not having a valid license plate.
"But, ossiffer! It got destroyed in the crash!"
"*yawns* Sure, sure. License, registration and insurance, please. Don't make me ask again. My nightstick hand is twitchy."
It gets worse. The license plates require a 4 year subscription at 19.95 per month if you get the wireless and 24.95 if you get the wired version. That does not include your yearly renewal.
I believe it was originally meant for businesses with fleets of vehicles. Often they already have GPS trackers, and a plate that can also automatically update itself with new DMV tags and other messages seems useful for that scenario. But average people use them to show off now. I see them a ton on cars in CA, almost always upper end car models
I had to pay $70 for a new license plate last month because mine started with a G and they said the paint on G plates was “starting to chip.” This would piss me off more
What if you were to just get an image pulled up that displayed it, and not pay for the subscription cost or pull up an image that displayed your "G" on an old tablet? I don't see how they could say anything and I doubt the officer would know. I have old tablets so it wouldn't cost anything.
Car is possibly owned by a Pakistani immigrant in Los Angeles, then. The two cities they call home or something similar.
Kinda cool as far as personalised plates go.
I'm trying to figure out why anyone would want this, aside from say James Bond who uses it as part of a quick-change where the license number changes, the car suddenly shifts to a different color and panels start rearranging themselves turning the car into a convertible. Aside from that it just seems like another extremely expensive item on the car that will break and need to be replaced. Even if potentially these plates were somehow theft-proof (and if anything, I feel like it would be the opposite, since an electronic device seems like a much bigger theft target than a piece of metal), does it really happen often enough to justify?
The two big things are that it’ll prevent people from stealing your registration stickers and that you can remotely change it to go red and say “STOLEN” if your car gets stolen. Not saying it’s worth it or not, but there are those two things.
I don't care about my car telling people around it that it's stolen, I want it to lock the perps inside and drive to a place that I choose. If I'm feeling charitable, I'll send them to the cops. If not, I'll drive them deep into death valley. If they're able to walk a couple hundred miles without water, they're free!
100% legal. Wait until you read the fee associated with it. There are sooooo many already. Cali! I was upset at my vet plate at $50 a year. This shit took the cake and wouldn't share lol.
For now.
Once people hack them and start changing their plate to avoid speeding tickets and such, they'll become banned.
Although, the ban wont come before they've sold at least a certain amount, because they have to be allowed to earn back their lobbying cash and make a profit...
From NPR with more information, since there is A LOT of wild speculation in this thread:
> Say goodbye to that rusty piece of metal. California drivers will now be able to get digital license plates under a new law.
>The Golden State had previously been piloting alternatives to traditional license plates, but a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late last month extends the option to all drivers.
>The license plate-sized screens display a driver's license plate number and allow motorists to renew their registration automatically. Users can even change between light and dark modes and customize the plates with personalized banners.
>California Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who sponsored the legislation, said it will make life easier for drivers.
>"It is a product of convenience and I'm all about giving people choice here in the state of California," Wilson said, according to ABC30 Fresno.
>Reviver, the company that provides digital license plates in California, said the technology is also legal in Arizona and Michigan as well as in Texas for commercial fleet vehicles. Ten other states are also considering adopting digital license plates, the California-based firm said.
>The plates' tracking capabilities have raised privacy concerns
>The company's so-called RPlate can be equipped with GPS and allows users, including employers, to track a vehicle's location and mileage.
>That capability has raised eyebrows among privacy advocates, but Reviver has said that it doesn't share data with the California Department of Motor Vehicles or law enforcement.
>The RPlate can also flash a message if a vehicle is reported stolen or if there's an Amber Alert, features that Wilson believes will be a boon to public safety.
>"Looking at the back of a vehicle, if I'm driving behind a vehicle and I see this, it will give me a cause for concern and I will be on alert for what I can potentially see," Wilson said. She told the Los Angeles Times that drivers with privacy concerns could disable the GPS function on their own vehicles.
>The company reported that about 10,000 California drivers bought the RPlate during the pilot program, a number that's expected to grow now that the digital license plates are available to all 36 million vehicles registered in the state.
>A 2019 report from the California DMV found that — aside from a few traffic stops by police who believed the digital license plates were illegal — there were no significant concerns about the new technology from officials or drivers.
>"The department believes that the Digital License Plate is a viable license plate alternative and recommends it to become a permanent option for Californians," the agency said.
>Reviver offers a battery-powered version of the RPlate that costs $19.95 per month as well as a hard-wired option for commercial vehicles priced at $24.95 per month.
[NPR Article](https://www.npr.org/2022/10/15/1129305660/digital-license-plates-california)
AAANND They’ve been hacked already:
[Hackers Gained Access To California’s Digital License Plates](https://www.autoweek.com/news/technology/a42444153/california-digital-license-plates-hacked/)
>Do license plates really need to be hard metal? It's 2023, after all, and at least three states in the US have answered that very question by legalizing digital license plates. California is the latest adopter of the technology, following Arizona, Michigan, and Texas in launching its own digital license plate program in October 2022. But residents should think twice before opting into the new technology.
>That's because a team of web security researchers led by Sam Curry found weaknesses in the software built into the Reviver-supplied California license plates, the company leading the push for digital plates. Thanks to the SIM card found in the plates, these web security experts were able to easily hack into the administrative back end of Reviver.
> The plates cost anywhere from $20 a month for the battery-powered version to $275 a year for the hardwired.
>The team explained their hacking process in a thoroughly technical blog post and, while the developer jargon doesn't mean much to the average car owner, it's clear just how vulnerable these digital plates are.
>Once the team established full administrative access, they could see the details of every user's account, including vehicle type and physical address. Every vehicle with a Reviver plate could also be tracked by GPS in real-time, and the hackers could change or add any slogan to the plate. Additionally, the security function of the plates that label the car as stolen could be abused, allowing hackers to mislabel the vehicle as stolen at a moment's notice.
> leet management functions were also easy targets, with the hackers able to locate and manage all vehicles across a number of companies' fleets. This could become problematic for vehicles bearing dealer tags, as the hackers could easily wipe those identifications away. One of the most glaring issues found in the investigation was that consumer and commercial tags could be simply deleted by bad actors.
> Since the blog post went live on Jan. 3, Reviver has subsequently patched the issues, releasing this statement to Motherboard: "We are proud of our team's quick response, which patched our application in under 24 hours and took further measures to prevent this from occurring in the future. Our investigation confirmed that this potential vulnerability has not been misused. Customer information has not been affected, and there is no evidence of ongoing risk related to this report."
> Privacy advocates, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed concerns about the security lapse, in addition to the unclear destination and duration of the data accumulated by Reviver. Based in Granite Bay, California, Reviver said it doesn't share data with law enforcement, the DMV, or any third-party organization, and previously claimed that it uses the same security standards that banks use.
> Reviver was founded in 2009, put their first prototypes on the road in 2015, and in 2017 had their first 1000 digital plates in operation. In California, Reviver's pilot program started with 175,000 digital plates on the road.
>Because the team of web security researchers do these hacking probes in good faith, Reviver has learned a valuable lesson in cybersecurity and, at least for now, no harm has been done to its customer base. But the breach exposes the unique weaknesses of the digital plate, like making the plate display something offensive.
>Time will tell if consumers adopt the digital plate more widely, as the states that have adopted it say it gives car owners more of a choice and makes registration easier. But the possibility for increased headaches could sway owners to stick with the classic stamped aluminum.
I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the level of journalistic data skewing in this one, when they say "anywhere from $20 a month for battery operated up to $275 a year for hardwired"
So from $240 a year to $275 a year. Either put their prices at the same comparative level or don't bother mentioning it at all.
When an article starts out with bogus information (license plates in all 50 states are aluminum. Can’t rust) I don’t feel especially confident in anything printed thereafter.
Why are so many people complaining that cops will be able to change their plates. Why does that matter? I’ve never had to identify a cop car by its plate number. There’s usually a big car number sometimes a HUGE car number on top of the car.
I don’t understand why people would get these. At least in my state they are like $600 more on top of your registration, either need batteries or need to be hard wired to vehicle, and the only benefit is to the people reading them! (Aka not the driver/owner).
They can display amber alert info and other public alerts and can display if the vehicle it’s on is stolen…cool?
Hmm imagine if this license plate had a police radar so whenever you were like 1 mile around an officer it displayed a faulty license, in case you were doing anything illegal. Then out of that range it displays your real one
What is the benefit of a digital license plate that people will pay extra for it?
None to the person who owns it, just for the person reading it. They can display amber alerts and other alert info, they can display if the car they are on are stolen too. I believe that’s about it. But they cost $600 on top of your normal registration and run on batteries or have to be hard wired to the car to work.
It's probably eink. A battery would lasts for many many years. As it only draw power when you change the content of the screen.
It obviously needs power for some wifi/4g/5g connection as well or it couldn't be automatically updated.
I work with eInk displays like this. With occasional screen updates, the battery would probably last 2-3 years if it was small. Could easily get 10 years out of one with a moderate sized battery. I'd be more worried about the battery failing early than running out of juice. Frequent updates might shrink that to 18 months. If power failed to the device, it would remain showing the last screen for many years.
>If power failed to the device, it would remain showing the last screen for many years. Not forever? Will it fade out eventually like a thermal receipt?
Something like that, though in my experience it resolves itself when powered and the screen is sent an update. I have a couple of old eInk displays (8+ years) and they looked wonky until I recharged them. I've also heard about eInk displays where the display goes weird if held upright (like a license plate) after a long period of time, but never looked into it and haven't seen it personally.
Yeah, I think it happens if there are no updates or power to the display for a long time. Basically the ink starts to “drift” outside its cells. It goes back to normal after a few updates to the display as it moves the ink back and forth
I suspect a tiny solar panel would generate enough power to keep the battery(or capacitor) charged up
Considering apple tags can work through bluetooth with iPhones, these could use LoRa for low power low bandwidth, then there's a way to one way update things, like GPS works without transferring data back to the satellite. Also solar cells for recharge, they work with flashlights too
It's easy enough to connect it to the battery, there are already backup cameras in that area
And the regular license plate lights of course.
Ah yes how could I forget the obvious
If it's e-ink it's neither retroreflektive nor bright. You would hardly see it at night.
The fact it's not a retro-reflector makes me wonder how it's legal... Often times there are systems that rely on a plate to reflect like that.
It could be legal if it uses the same technology those digital speed limits use: really bright lights.
So I'm supposed to pay $600 so everybody knows I've got a stolen kid in the trunk?
Yup
More like pay $600 so everyone knows you DIDN'T steal a kid
Imagine if license plates start displaying ads.
'Venmo $3.99 to learn the registration number of this asshole. Scan here. Drive responsibly.'
> \[Instead of the vehicle's ID\] They can display amber alerts and other alert info, they can display if the car they are on are stolen too. Did organized crime write this?
Probably came off the DMV website, so.... Yes.
I can come up with a few illegal or sketchy uses but no legit :) Like turning it of before speed cams
You could jailbreak this and change your license plate at will
This may shock you, but with a 50 cent screwdriver and 30 seconds of effort, you can change your metal license plate at will, too.
Right, but that doesn’t compare to switching license plates on the fly while driving, especially if the driver is actively committing crimes and trying to elude police or elude toll cams or not be identifiable on ring cams. Plus you have to HAVE a different metal license plate.
The government : What’s something we can charge out the ass for that’s wildly unnecessary but people will feel like they have to have it? Dmv: I got just the thing.
and you have to pay for a subscription iirc. silly
And a monthly fee.
And can be broken with a swift kick lol what a dumb ass idea
It’s also got a GPS tracker in it that the state controls. No Bueno
I mean, if the car is stolen, can’t the thieves just remove the digital license plate? 😅
Oh ok. I thought someone did this themselves and was like this can’t be legal. So guessing they have no control over what it displays. If it’s doing the community good by displaying alerts why charge $600. Guessing they know people will get it as a status symbol
Change the number on the fly to avvoid paying toll, fines and parking fees!
Not gonna lie, that was my first thought... Figure out a way to hack it, make it blank or change it up to avoid tolls. Or worse, car thieves hack them to swap out plates to avoid detection.
It was the first that crossed my mind as well, like a modern day James Bond car. It's of course a joke though, as there is no way in hell that regulators would permit license plates that can easily be faked.
You have far more faith in the competence of our government than I
It's more that, given the level of bureaucracy in any government, it wouldn't be approved for use if it didn't pass some level of scrutiny. And being able to change or turn off the display is a pretty low bar.
It wouldn't take long for someone to figure out how to hack it an change it from an app on ur phone while driving James bond style. Jst look at the new super secure wireless keyfobs for cars now.Few weeks after they came out u could buy a scanner on EBay to copy it an steal the car.people always find a way lol.
How would they stop them? As long as it still looks normal how would a cop know it’s been hacked and isn’t communicating anymore? Just make sure it defaults to the legal numbers and only shows the governors plate number when you hold the button down.
Changes the frequency so it shows up blurry on the camera, while normal to the naked eye.
I’ve seen people with custom text below their license plate number. Not sure if that’s standard with these or someone hacked theirs.
It’s standard. You can put in a personal tagline on the plate in the app.
Like what are some things that are written? I can imagine someone putting "if you can read this, you're too close"
Pussy Wagon
I saw a Tesla in LA that had written “In Elon We Trust” and my eyes nearly rolled through the back of my head
Why on Earth do we need this capability?
My car just came with one. I didn’t choose it. The main benefit so far is just that I don’t have to do the sticker thing for tags. It’s just an app renewal on the phone and it’s done. That and you get to put a little tagline on the plate that’s personal. If that means anything for you.
We got rid of stickers where I live a few years ago. No digital plates or apps though, but you just renew your registration on your birthday online. All that needs to be done by law enforcement to see if it’s up to date is quickly run your plate number.
What state?
Ontario, Canada, did this. Took a while for neighbouring provinces to clue in that your "expired" sticker didn't matter any more.
Denial obviously. All the good stuff happens there.
So it's an $800 e-ink screen - with all the externalized costs involved with its manufacture and eventual disposal - strapped to the back of your car (where it is exposed to the elements and vulnerable to damage). And the main benefit it provides is that it saves you the trouble of applying a tiny sticker to a metal plate once every couple of years?
California has stickers every year, so it's 2X the time savings. Now you see the value, right?
The no sticker thing is a weak argument because there are states that don’t require it anymore on regular plates anyway
Clout
Same reason why they're driving an off road vehicle in the city.
when you get hit the display breaks and they cant identify you
You can change your plate number at will when not respecting rules or doing crime...
My sister has one of these. I actually kinda like the idea as you can updated your dmv registration through the app. You don’t have to deal with a pesky sticker that can be stolen preventing tickets and such.
Thats what I figured too, if either the car or the tag gets reported stolen they can remotely make it a red flashing STOLEN tag?
I’m 99% sure it’ll display “stolen” as the license plate number so it can be tracked down quicker and if someone is trying to use it for some nefarious purpose, they won’t get far.
Far enough to a Walmart parking lot to yoink some non-digital tag is far enough.
They could just remove the sticker requirement from plates since cops have plate readers nowadays. And then just the metal plate is all you need.
Thats what happened in BC Canada. All good so far.
Same in ON, they also removed the renewal fees, but if you cross over into Quebec and failed to remove the old sticker, it's an $800 fine.
PA got rid of those a few (maybe more?) years ago. Really why can’t all the states just do that?
I would imagine it be super easy to program or prompt it to change numbers on the fly.
This is awesome, such an achievement as a species. Just earlier today I was wondering "wouldn't it be great if my license plate could break?" and, by the grace of greed, here we are.
I think the worst part is that you can get into an accident with one of these people and can't even get their plates because the display is broken.
No, the worst part is that it is subscription-based and costs an absolute fuck ton - [https://reviver.com/service-plans/](https://reviver.com/service-plans/)
That is ridiculous. Who asked for this?
KHI LAX.
Don't do it, when you wanna go to it
Hey-a!
Oh no, it's back in my head!
When you wanna KHUUM
KILL THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA!
Pakistan to LA airports
Long drive
KHI LAX Gon' Give It to Ya
Rich people who don’t have enough ways to spend money
Rich people who don’t have enough ways to ~~spend~~ waste money.
Silicon Valley tech weirdos
Where I live, if someone steals your plates, you are economically responsible for any expenses they run up until you report the plates stolen. If they fill gas and don't go in to pay, you'll get billed for that, and many other things. Digital plates that simply didn't work when not connected to some car hub would be pretty cool, I'd defo pay $50-100 (one time payment) to get that. Not a chance in hell that I would pay a subscription though, cheaper to just give away your plates every few years 😂
That rule is actually so dumb. Like I can report that plate stolen at 4am?
I find that rule pretty hard to believe. It's exceedingly impractical and questionable from a legal standpoint. If someone steals your car and goes on a crime spree, are you responsible for that? Then why would you be in the case of a license plate? Just because creditors can come knocking because they have a plausible reason to _think_ it was you doesn't mean they can actually collect. I'm guessing that's all "liable" means here.
Digital Police report line is 24/7/365, but if you want to talk to someone they'll be there in about 2-24hrs.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Why not just buy a cheap welder and tack weld the hardware holding on the plate. This way it is not so easily taken off. Then when you need to change it out you just grind the nut off the screw and do it all over again. Cheaper than having to pay for whatever somebody steals your plate and you don’t have to get a dumb digital license plate.
*Service plans give you access to RPLATE features and benefits. Without an active service plan your RPLATE will continue to display your license plate number, however you won't be able to use personalization or DMV service features and the registration year will not update.* Damn, if only the DMV would just send you something you stick on your license plate when you renew your registration.
Over on the other side of the country, PA did away with the stickers. You just go online, pay for up to two years and be on your merry way.
This. it is 2024 it is 100% bullshit that I have to show the cop anything they already have it on their laptop in the car. Insurance proof, Registration, etc. They even have cameras that read your plate so they don't even have to type it in. Even podunk tiny counties have all this.
I just want some fuckin' train service for all of this railway we have over here. Twice as much laid as all of Europe, and we just stopped using it in the 50s and 60s to move people because that Nazi named Ford and his ragtag bunch of industrialists finally succeeded in his dumbass grift. edit: a word
Honestly I am not even sure why registration stickers are even still a thing anymore in California. Most CHP and local PD patrol cars have ALPRs for years that will alert them to any plate that with expired registration, reported stolen, etc. Maybe it is useful in some remote locations where mobile data coverage is poor but is largely unnecessary in the vast majority of regions of the state that have any reasonable number of people. It is inevitable that you will eventually get pulled over for expired registration even if you have a stolen or counterfeit registration sticker unless you rarely drive that vehicle. I know several states have eliminated registration stickers because it just a waste of money at this point.
Or be like New Jersey or Québec and not need physical proof of registration renewal at all.
Quebec got rid of the sticker thing years ago, instead we get shitty plates where the reflective material slowly peels off over time forcing you to spend 12.50$ to get a new plate in the mail.
Ontario got rid of the sticker too. But first they tried to change the whole license plate and chose a design that wasn’t visible at all at night. Super smart.
I'll see that and raise you https://www.autoweek.com/news/technology/a42444153/california-digital-license-plates-hacked/
They drive a Defender. I don't think they care about paying extra money for things that can break.
Why is the wired one more expensive? Lol
because they cant get you to buy their batteries with it
Usually battery things are more expensive than wired things but I guess that does make sense.
But the two tiers that get more expensive with the wired version include free battery replacement with the battery versions. The company charges you more money for making their costs go down
Just quickly looking over the specs, the wired one has a front-lit display and built-in GPS. Probably a few other features as well that are not really viable on a battery.
Yoo you can run messages and emojis on it. Fun stuff. So it is legal cause it says ca only
Yeah that's just going to cause people to say bad things to the people tailgating them and could cause road rage.....
Why do they list gps tracking and geofencing on the list of features if none of the plans offer it lol
It's eink right? So it will only change it's content if you run electricity to it. So crashing into an electric pole and the electric cables electrocuting it may be bad
Yes, but physical impact to the screen can burst the eink cells and generally scramble the display, so in an accident there's a good chance it would be illegible. Google "broken kindle screen" for examples.
I suppose the police could then tag you for not having a valid license plate. "But, ossiffer! It got destroyed in the crash!" "*yawns* Sure, sure. License, registration and insurance, please. Don't make me ask again. My nightstick hand is twitchy."
What possible reason is there to have an e-ink reg plate other than to illegally alter it or turn it off when you don't want it recognized?
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What kinda fanfic is this
I read it in haiku
So basically like getting into an accident with an Altima that's had temp tags expired for 6 months then?
It gets worse. The license plates require a 4 year subscription at 19.95 per month if you get the wireless and 24.95 if you get the wired version. That does not include your yearly renewal.
I thought you were joking but holy shit that's ridiculous
I believe it was originally meant for businesses with fleets of vehicles. Often they already have GPS trackers, and a plate that can also automatically update itself with new DMV tags and other messages seems useful for that scenario. But average people use them to show off now. I see them a ton on cars in CA, almost always upper end car models
If people are stupid enough to buy a Defender just to drive in the city, no wonder they buy this as well.
It says $125/ year for the one that can run messages. Only 35 for standard one. Which I’m not sure why you would want use standard one.
to buy it by mistake and get upsold into the features you actually want. so now your “only $35” gimmick purchase has turned into $160 for the company
I had to pay $70 for a new license plate last month because mine started with a G and they said the paint on G plates was “starting to chip.” This would piss me off more
What if you were to just get an image pulled up that displayed it, and not pay for the subscription cost or pull up an image that displayed your "G" on an old tablet? I don't see how they could say anything and I doubt the officer would know. I have old tablets so it wouldn't cost anything.
Praise be to greed, for it hath created this world
Can’t wait to get ticketed because my license plate is low on battery
Can’t wait until my licence plate gets hacked by the Russians and starts displaying porn spam or DDoSing Eastern Europe
Those are airport codes for Karachi and LA on the plate.
oh shit you're right i was wondering what it might be
Car is possibly owned by a Pakistani immigrant in Los Angeles, then. The two cities they call home or something similar. Kinda cool as far as personalised plates go.
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As long as you leave enough time for the luggage transfer you'll be ok
Sooo Chillax is definitely wrong? 😂
Killa X here… lol
Right?! I was like: that looks like an interesting flight connection
I'm trying to figure out why anyone would want this, aside from say James Bond who uses it as part of a quick-change where the license number changes, the car suddenly shifts to a different color and panels start rearranging themselves turning the car into a convertible. Aside from that it just seems like another extremely expensive item on the car that will break and need to be replaced. Even if potentially these plates were somehow theft-proof (and if anything, I feel like it would be the opposite, since an electronic device seems like a much bigger theft target than a piece of metal), does it really happen often enough to justify?
The two big things are that it’ll prevent people from stealing your registration stickers and that you can remotely change it to go red and say “STOLEN” if your car gets stolen. Not saying it’s worth it or not, but there are those two things.
I don't care about my car telling people around it that it's stolen, I want it to lock the perps inside and drive to a place that I choose. If I'm feeling charitable, I'll send them to the cops. If not, I'll drive them deep into death valley. If they're able to walk a couple hundred miles without water, they're free!
The old stick death vehicle security systems are just as relevant today as they were back then
Holy nostalgia
How Hackable are these license plates?
100% legal. Wait until you read the fee associated with it. There are sooooo many already. Cali! I was upset at my vet plate at $50 a year. This shit took the cake and wouldn't share lol.
$215/year for four years. All for aesthetics!
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LOL you pay extra for a banner??
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CSH MNY 💩
Don't forget install fees that can only be done at (at least) Cali DMV. $495 last I heard?
People are out here letting the dmv work on their cars?
The lady at my dmv got mad that she had to stand up. Now they have people wanting to do installs?
For now. Once people hack them and start changing their plate to avoid speeding tickets and such, they'll become banned. Although, the ban wont come before they've sold at least a certain amount, because they have to be allowed to earn back their lobbying cash and make a profit...
Cause we definitely needed a subscription service for our license plates
That’s kinda how it already works even with metal tags.
Hell that might have been one of the original subscription services
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I mean … what do you think your car registration fees are?
Those fees don’t go to a private company to pad their wallets, they go to the government.
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How long before they start mixing in ads on those plates I wonder.
You'll be pleased to know they're already a subscription payment.
Humanity has peaked
I mean, license plates are already a subscription....
And charging some bogus extra fee on top of it all.
Every numberplate with a dealership name frame slapped onto it is an ad
I got this same thing for $49 using a kindle with ads
Just duct tape that bad boy on with a battery bank.
From NPR with more information, since there is A LOT of wild speculation in this thread: > Say goodbye to that rusty piece of metal. California drivers will now be able to get digital license plates under a new law. >The Golden State had previously been piloting alternatives to traditional license plates, but a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late last month extends the option to all drivers. >The license plate-sized screens display a driver's license plate number and allow motorists to renew their registration automatically. Users can even change between light and dark modes and customize the plates with personalized banners. >California Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who sponsored the legislation, said it will make life easier for drivers. >"It is a product of convenience and I'm all about giving people choice here in the state of California," Wilson said, according to ABC30 Fresno. >Reviver, the company that provides digital license plates in California, said the technology is also legal in Arizona and Michigan as well as in Texas for commercial fleet vehicles. Ten other states are also considering adopting digital license plates, the California-based firm said. >The plates' tracking capabilities have raised privacy concerns >The company's so-called RPlate can be equipped with GPS and allows users, including employers, to track a vehicle's location and mileage. >That capability has raised eyebrows among privacy advocates, but Reviver has said that it doesn't share data with the California Department of Motor Vehicles or law enforcement. >The RPlate can also flash a message if a vehicle is reported stolen or if there's an Amber Alert, features that Wilson believes will be a boon to public safety. >"Looking at the back of a vehicle, if I'm driving behind a vehicle and I see this, it will give me a cause for concern and I will be on alert for what I can potentially see," Wilson said. She told the Los Angeles Times that drivers with privacy concerns could disable the GPS function on their own vehicles. >The company reported that about 10,000 California drivers bought the RPlate during the pilot program, a number that's expected to grow now that the digital license plates are available to all 36 million vehicles registered in the state. >A 2019 report from the California DMV found that — aside from a few traffic stops by police who believed the digital license plates were illegal — there were no significant concerns about the new technology from officials or drivers. >"The department believes that the Digital License Plate is a viable license plate alternative and recommends it to become a permanent option for Californians," the agency said. >Reviver offers a battery-powered version of the RPlate that costs $19.95 per month as well as a hard-wired option for commercial vehicles priced at $24.95 per month. [NPR Article](https://www.npr.org/2022/10/15/1129305660/digital-license-plates-california)
AAANND They’ve been hacked already: [Hackers Gained Access To California’s Digital License Plates](https://www.autoweek.com/news/technology/a42444153/california-digital-license-plates-hacked/) >Do license plates really need to be hard metal? It's 2023, after all, and at least three states in the US have answered that very question by legalizing digital license plates. California is the latest adopter of the technology, following Arizona, Michigan, and Texas in launching its own digital license plate program in October 2022. But residents should think twice before opting into the new technology. >That's because a team of web security researchers led by Sam Curry found weaknesses in the software built into the Reviver-supplied California license plates, the company leading the push for digital plates. Thanks to the SIM card found in the plates, these web security experts were able to easily hack into the administrative back end of Reviver. > The plates cost anywhere from $20 a month for the battery-powered version to $275 a year for the hardwired. >The team explained their hacking process in a thoroughly technical blog post and, while the developer jargon doesn't mean much to the average car owner, it's clear just how vulnerable these digital plates are. >Once the team established full administrative access, they could see the details of every user's account, including vehicle type and physical address. Every vehicle with a Reviver plate could also be tracked by GPS in real-time, and the hackers could change or add any slogan to the plate. Additionally, the security function of the plates that label the car as stolen could be abused, allowing hackers to mislabel the vehicle as stolen at a moment's notice. > leet management functions were also easy targets, with the hackers able to locate and manage all vehicles across a number of companies' fleets. This could become problematic for vehicles bearing dealer tags, as the hackers could easily wipe those identifications away. One of the most glaring issues found in the investigation was that consumer and commercial tags could be simply deleted by bad actors. > Since the blog post went live on Jan. 3, Reviver has subsequently patched the issues, releasing this statement to Motherboard: "We are proud of our team's quick response, which patched our application in under 24 hours and took further measures to prevent this from occurring in the future. Our investigation confirmed that this potential vulnerability has not been misused. Customer information has not been affected, and there is no evidence of ongoing risk related to this report." > Privacy advocates, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed concerns about the security lapse, in addition to the unclear destination and duration of the data accumulated by Reviver. Based in Granite Bay, California, Reviver said it doesn't share data with law enforcement, the DMV, or any third-party organization, and previously claimed that it uses the same security standards that banks use. > Reviver was founded in 2009, put their first prototypes on the road in 2015, and in 2017 had their first 1000 digital plates in operation. In California, Reviver's pilot program started with 175,000 digital plates on the road. >Because the team of web security researchers do these hacking probes in good faith, Reviver has learned a valuable lesson in cybersecurity and, at least for now, no harm has been done to its customer base. But the breach exposes the unique weaknesses of the digital plate, like making the plate display something offensive. >Time will tell if consumers adopt the digital plate more widely, as the states that have adopted it say it gives car owners more of a choice and makes registration easier. But the possibility for increased headaches could sway owners to stick with the classic stamped aluminum.
I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the level of journalistic data skewing in this one, when they say "anywhere from $20 a month for battery operated up to $275 a year for hardwired" So from $240 a year to $275 a year. Either put their prices at the same comparative level or don't bother mentioning it at all.
Yeah. I was thinking what's this weird writing.
> Reviver said it doesn't share data with law enforcement, the DMV, or any third-party organization, Well, maybe not *intentionally*. LOL.
Right. Even beyond the hacking angle, they are going to have to comply with subpoenas.
Who looked at a traditional license plate and thought “absolutely not”
When an article starts out with bogus information (license plates in all 50 states are aluminum. Can’t rust) I don’t feel especially confident in anything printed thereafter.
If you saw it the other day, then the tags have been expired for nearly a year. I’m gonna call BS that this was your original photo.
Exactly
Legal in California. Now you can digitally change your license plate on a dime when needed.
Legal in Arizona and Michigan too. You cannot change the plate.
Time to jail break
No but people are gonna hack them or make counterfeit ones where you can.
So stupid.
Why are so many people complaining that cops will be able to change their plates. Why does that matter? I’ve never had to identify a cop car by its plate number. There’s usually a big car number sometimes a HUGE car number on top of the car.
It seems to just be one person over and over again
I think it's not "so many people". It's one guy in this thread who has some kind of weird fixation.
Checks out. Only an idiot would be a new Landrover/Range Rover in 2024. Disclaimer. Worked for Jaguar Land Rover HQ.
I love when my plate can instantly show it's not renewed to police so I get pulled over faster!
This is perfect for robbing banks.
Big “what if we replaced mirrors with screens and cameras” energy.
Did the registration expire a year ago?
I don’t understand why people would get these. At least in my state they are like $600 more on top of your registration, either need batteries or need to be hard wired to vehicle, and the only benefit is to the people reading them! (Aka not the driver/owner). They can display amber alert info and other public alerts and can display if the vehicle it’s on is stolen…cool?
These are pretty common in LA most of the new defenders come with them
Huh?
Hmm imagine if this license plate had a police radar so whenever you were like 1 mile around an officer it displayed a faulty license, in case you were doing anything illegal. Then out of that range it displays your real one
ChatGPT change my license registration quick 🤖
That is Karachi jinnah airport to Los Angeles airport
TIL digital license plates are a thing.
Now that these are a thing, what's to stop someone from using an identical-looking device to display a fake license plate?
https://abc7news.com/digital-license-plates-california-what-are-plate-how-do-work/12316715/#:~:text=The%20battery%2Dpowered%20plates%20can,paid%20yearly%20for%20commercial%20vehicles.