Digital license plates are now legal in California

New expertise is hitting the streets in California that lets motorists use high-tech digital license plates on their automobiles as an alternative of the old style steel selection. 

The Motor Automobile Digital Quantity Plates Invoice (AB 984), handed earlier this month, permits California car house owners to make use of the digital plates, made solely by California firm Reviver.

The plates, which resemble tablets. hook up with an app that provides registration renewal, car location providers and safety features — equivalent to reporting a car stolen. They’re the identical form and dimension as conventional license plates, and provides customers the choice to alter the plate’s background colour by toggling between a lightweight or darkish mode. Motorists may personalize a banner message on the plate. 

The invoice’s passage follows a profitable pilot program during which roughly 10,000 California drivers demoed the brand new expertise. 

“Californians are recognized to be early adopters of rising progressive applied sciences. We welcome new alternatives to automate and combine as many components of our lives as attainable, enabling us to streamline mundane duties and keep related. Our vehicles aren’t any exception,” Reviver co-founder Neville Boston mentioned in a press release. 

The digital, tablet-like license plates elevate privateness and security fears — considerations the invoice addresses by banning them from utilizing GPS besides in sure circumstances, like on fleet and industrial automobiles.

“AB 984 strikes a obligatory stability between innovation and privateness whereas digitizing the one factor on our vehicles at the moment that stay antiquated, license plates,” mentioned Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun Metropolis).

Reviver’s digital license plates price as little as $19.95 monthly, or about $960 for 4 years, in line with the corporate. Set up charges are $99.

Digital plates are additionally authorized in Michigan and Arizona, whereas a handful of different states are in varied levels of approving the units.