Michigan has just joined a short list of states by approving digital license plates.
The state’s legislature passed a law Thursday allowing the plates, which are high-tech alternative to their metal counterparts. They are digital screens mounted onto a frame that in many ways resemble the traditional car license plates. The plates are actually wireless LTE devices and come with wireless communications systems and computer chips that make it easier to update them with new registration tags.
They constantly show the license plate number and have the ability to display personalized messages or alerts such as “invalid” and “stolen” that could be useful for law enforcement; they could also make it easier to digitally renew license plates over the years.
Michigan is the third state to approve digital plates as California and Arizona have already approved their use, and Florida and Texas lined up for later in the year.
The plates are exclusively made by a company called Reviver Auto, and cost $499 for a basic version, RPlate Essential. A premium version, the Rplate Pro, come with a GPS navigation that allows for geo-fencing runs $799. They allow a manager to get an alert if a worker drives a company vehicle outside the service area.
Getting one of the digital license plates not only costs a lot, but there is also a monthly subscription fee of $7, plus any installation costs. You cannot buy the license plates from any of the states’ Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to The Verge.
