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Would You Pay $700, Plus a Monthly Fee, For a Digital License Plate? (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the early-adopters dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: It's been a few weeks now since a Bay Area startup put a digital license plate on my car. So far, nobody seems to have noticed. I haven't yet been pulled aside by police or civilians asking what it is. At first glance, this electronic device looks exactly like a traditional, stamped metal license plate. The new digital plate has the same scripted CALIFORNIA icon up top and uses the exact same size and font to show the numbers and letters. But in actuality, what I have is an "Rplate," a $700 plate-sized Kindle-like screen on the back of my car -- high-contrast grayscale e-ink and all. The device also contains an RFID and GPS chip that allow me to see where my car is at any given moment, to voluntarily track my trips, and to even optionally display DMV-approved customized messages in a small font below the plate number itself.

Were I an actual paying customer, I'd be paying $7 per month in a service fee, too, mostly to offset the data connection to Verizon. The one-time $700 price tag alone is a bit high for me. To be clear, I have a loaner model, and by the time this story comes out, I'll soon be sending the plate back to the company, Reviver. The model I've been using is one of the first 1,000 such plates that are legally out on California roads right now. Still, after my experience of a few weeks, there's no clear and compelling case to be made as to why most of us non-rich individuals need this fancy plate. Also, there are still unanswered questions about its security and what it means to voluntarily hand over so much personal location data to a single company.

42 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Would I? by charliemerritt03 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NO.
    Hell No.
    Like *Pay ME* to wear it. You know - like like.

    1. Re:Would I? by msauve · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Hell No.

      Yup.

      The device also contains an RFID and GPS chip that allow me to see where my car is at any given moment, to voluntarily track my trips, and to even optionally display DMV-approved customized messages in a small font below the plate number itself.

      $700 and $7/mo because you can't remember where you parked, plus a bumper sticker? The answer is no for anyone who's not an idiot. And if you (the summary writer) feel the need to even ask the question, you're one of those idiots.

      P. T. Barnum was right.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    2. Re:Would I? by Askmum · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And have to replace it every year because of rock damage? And to hear that it was hacked after another so I need to replace it for an updated secure version? All at my cost of course?

      How can you even think of offering this to customers. You must think we are really stupid.

    3. Re:Would I? by msauve · · Score: 4, Funny

      Some bumper stickers are useful. I had one saying "Authorized Vehicle." It let me make U-turns on the highway.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    4. Re:Would I? by hey! · · Score: 2

      Fhat's the reaction a lot of us had in the 70s when it first became fashionable to wear clothing with branding prominently displayed. What kind of fool turns himself into a billboard for a clothing manufacturer?

      It turns out, the answer was a commonplace fool.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    5. Re:Would I? by kilfarsnar · · Score: 2

      Indeed. I'm failing to see the benefit of this device. There are already trackers on the market for much less you can place on your car. I don't see the advantage of having an e-ink license plate. Why have something fragile on the back of my car when I can have a $2 piece of metal on the back.

      This is the modern tech world. It has brought you such innovations as the vending machine, taxi, roommates, and the electric juicer! It's really an indication that our society's needs are so overfilled that people are having a harder and harder time coming up with new, real value.

      --
      "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
    6. Re:Would I? by DutchSter · · Score: 2

      I am in New York. They are phasing out the white plates back to the yellow ones. However you can keep the white ones, as long as you can transfer them to an other car.
      The yellow ones which cost more, are also of a cheaper build quality and I am seeing many of them starting to flake off.

      In Ohio yellow license plates, colloquially known as party plates, are often issued by judges to DUI offenders as a visible indication that the registered owner has limited driving privileges.

      Cops can and do single out yellow plated cars for more scrutiny. I had a rental car from NY for three weeks once while mine was in the shop. Twice I had cops flip on me after dark, something that never happens when I drive my regular vehicle. They presumably lost interest after realizing it was a NY plate and not seeing me commit any traffic violations. All's well that ends well but I try to avoid attracting unwanted attention in the first place.

      You would think that NY being close to Ohio and leaning politically as it does would have considered that when deciding on what color to brand all of its citizens' vehicles with.

  2. Approved Messages: Let's get started ... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... optionally display DMV-approved customized messages in a small font below the plate number itself.

    "Sucker on board."

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  3. Maybe on an Aston Martin... by bosef1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I would get one of these, if it let switch between other license plates that weren't registered in my name.

    1. Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin... by El+Cubano · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm trying to think of what other possible purpose is served for it to have an electronic screen at all, and am coming up blank

      Suppose you manage a large vehicle fleet, like UPS, FedEx or a large trucking company. Having something like this would be very handy as it would allow you integrate some handy location tracking, along with perhaps the ability to blank the plate if the vehicle is stolen (makes it it stick out more to law enforcement, for example). You already have to track your vehicle locations and something like this has the potential to simplify the whole operation since the DMV-registered plate identifier would automatically be associated with the device providing the location data. No need to manually enter things like plate identifiers into the fleet management software any longer.

      People are going crazy about the price and privacy implications, but I cannot really think that the maker of this is targeting individuals. That would simply not make sense.

    2. Re: Maybe on an Aston Martin... by Malc · · Score: 5, Insightful

      All good points, but ummm, why would you want that in the license plate? Put this inside the vehicle where itâ(TM)s secure, isnâ(TM)t exposed to the elements and wonâ(TM)t have accidental knocks. A digital screen is great if you need to change the contents, but s license plate never changes, so whatâ(TM)s the point?

    3. Re: Maybe on an Aston Martin... by Vegan+Cyclist · · Score: 2

      Exactly, not to mention it's pretty trivial to swap a new plate (and leave the fancy GPS plate in the trash behind.)

    4. Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin... by jrumney · · Score: 4, Informative

      Suppose you manage a large vehicle fleet, like UPS, FedEx or a large trucking company. Having something like this would be very handy

      I can certainly see how a large fleet could use electronic tags to fraudulently avoid a lot of vehicle tax, but for genuine tracking needs, the Telematics boxes they already use are probably a lot more cost effective. Its been a few years since I checked the specific details, but low bandwidth data plans in bulk for IoT and Telematics usage can be had for less per year than this is charging per month.

    5. Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin... by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 2

      Suppose you manage a large vehicle fleet, like UPS, FedEx or a large trucking company.

      Then you probably already have this. Most fleets I know have GPS tracking, dash-cam and cab-cam already.

    6. Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin... by Mashiki · · Score: 4, Informative

      No point for truck companies, they're all hooked up and satellite or cell linked. They all must have e-logbooking as well at least here in North America, been like that mandated as law since early this year(was mandated and all companies given 2 years to come into compliance). The DMV can pull it right from the transponder on the truck and know every road, side-road, and rest area you've hit. The big truck companies have for over a decade known exactly where their vehicles and trailers are at all times, it's one of the reasons why trailer and tanker theft is so low now. On top of that it hold no value to a trucking company or delivery company in terms of say toll roads, since you have to use a transponder. You can get one from a universal billing company for $10-15/mo that works in every state, every toll road/bridge in north america.

      As for your question on plates? No point. Fleet vehicles use fleet plates, no sticker required on those. The permit tag goes on the drivers side of the truck, if it's fleet owned they put a new one on when it goes in for maintenance. If it's privately owned? You hit your local DMV office's website, and they send it in the mail, you print off a copy for your truck and wait for it. Or just input the new code into your elogbook and all the certification work is done just like that.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
  4. I don't understand by JeffOwl · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why would anyone do this?

    1. Re:I don't understand by ark1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Let me see - privilege of getting your data collected, the chance of it failing so that you have no licence plate. What happens if you don't pay the monthly fee? Would they kill it in the middle of a ride?

    2. Re:I don't understand by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      Because "new", "convenient"

      How is it "convenient"? What is the benefit to the user?

      too lazy to simply have a non-license plate-based tracker built into the car, whatever.

      If you carry a cell phone, you already have a tracker.

    3. Re:I don't understand by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

      You can be like James Bond and push a button (there's an app for that!) that changes the plate! Think of how cool that could be...

      Or not.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  5. So let me get this straight-- by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You not only agree to be tracked everywhere you drive, but you pay $700 plus a monthly fee for the privilege? Are you sure you heard them right?

  6. I would steal it by pablo_max · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously... Free e-ink display!! I would totally steal your number plate.
    I just need like 20 plates to make one big screen. Then I can read my kindle from my sofa whilst it's on my wall. Perfect.

  7. Money flow is in the wrong direction by Tjp($)pjT · · Score: 2

    With the data they are collecting they should be paying your vehicle registration, maybe the vehicle insurance. And if you’re an influencer maybe your car payments. They are collecting a lot of valuable data. They should be paying you.

    --
    - Tjp

    I am in wallow with my inner money grubbing capitalistic pig. ... Oink!

  8. Keeping hands clean ... by drnb · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't understand. Why would anyone do this?

    Well today I had the experience that would encourage many to embrace this new high tech solution. Today I had to find a screw driver and remove the four screws securing the license and its frame to the car. I had to wipe the license with a wet towel to remove some of the grime before putting a new registration sticker on top of the old, then going through the misery of aligning screws with threads four times to reattach everything.

    All of this annual ugliness could be performed much more elegantly digitally. The DMV charges my credit card, the charge clears, it then could send an updated registration sticker image to the digital plate for its display.

    $700 at time of car purchase and $84 a year thereafter, worth it to avoid the preceding messiness.

    1. Re:Keeping hands clean ... by Zaelath · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or you know, you could just stop the ridiculous practice of applying licence stickers when the cops all have number plate scanners and can tell if your rego is up to date without them.

    2. Re:Keeping hands clean ... by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

      Now if we can just get a fully digital windshield so we don't have to clean that too, that could save all the effort of pressing that little wiper lever. That has to be worth a few hundred a year!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    3. Re:Keeping hands clean ... by dryeo · · Score: 3, Informative

      $500 fine here if you don't have the sticker on the plate. Doesn't matter if you have it with you, once the expiry date passes, you better hope for a nice cop who lets you put it on right then.

      --
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_totalitarianism
    4. Re:Keeping hands clean ... by religionofpeas · · Score: 3, Funny

      If they can't change the rules to something more sensible using modern standards, what makes you think you won't be required to put a sticker on your e-plate ?

    5. Re:Keeping hands clean ... by Billlagr · · Score: 2

      One of the reasons given was to save costs. None of those savings seems to have filtered down. I am shocked and dismayed that this has not happened. Shocked I say!

  9. Re: Why would anyone do this? by dgatwood · · Score: 2

    Another possible reason might be to have the ability to turn off your plate while parked but not even sure if that is legal.

    A more useful trick would be to use a bit of machine vision to detect what color the traffic light is and then turn it off if the intersection is listed in a red light camera database....

    --

    Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  10. Please be more subtle about trolling by WaffleMonster · · Score: 4, Informative

    Bay area startup high on crystal meth going out of business in 3...2...1.

    Rplate Pro users can rest assured that their data â" especially usage/telematics information â" is never shared with the DMV, law enforcement, or any other third party.

    Telematics data is not uploaded to Reviver Autoâ(TM)s US-based cloud infrastructure and is not available when the user turns off the functionality from their app or our Rconnect website. The telematics data belongs to the user and is never sold to third parties.

    ZOMG Finally a company who respects their customers!!1!!!!!!

    Now lets go see what their real privacy policy has to say about this:

    We may collect a variety of information from the products that are deployed on your vehicle, via remote access, during our delivery or receipt of content or information to your products, or during in-person service, including:

    Data regarding the performance, usage, operation, and condition of the products, including product serial number, geographical location.

    Trip logs, including start / end times for trips

    We may use information that we collect through the product and services for a variety of purposes, including

    To send you promotional material or special offers on our behalf or on behalf of our marketing partners

    We may use or share information that does not personally identify you, including, as examples, de-identified or anonymized data, for any purpose


    We may disclose your information to third parties in order to comply with a legal obligation (including, but not limited to, subpoenas and warrants);

    Shocked disbelief... what ... a surprise... didn't see THAT coming...

    1. Re:Please be more subtle about trolling by WaffleMonster · · Score: 2

      Nothing in the latter quoted section conflict with the former quoted section.

      It ALL does.

      They don't share your information, they will market on behalf of partners (that to me sounds like this company screens their partners and contains all interaction with their data to themselves, not the partners).

      WRONG. Privacy policy says they can share it for ANY PURPOSE so long as it is not personally identifying. "Personally identifying" is a meaningless restriction that conveys no useful information.

      This is like NSA arguing with a straight face in front of congress they only collect phone numbers not names and addresses. Even IP addresses in the US are not considered personally identifying neither is a list of everywhere you go with your name removed from it. The qualifier is absolutely meaningless in the United States.

      Obviously trip logging for the GPS aspect of the application. If they tout a feature to find your vehicle and see driving history, then wouldn't they *need* to log trips?

      Of course they would not. The thing has a cell phone built in they could provide you with an E2E tunnel to the data only you have encryption key to access.

      Lastly please point out an American company that would not be guilty of obstruction of justice if they did not comply with a legal obligation (e.g. subpoena and warrant)

      IRRELEVANT. They say without qualification they NEVER share data with law enforcement. It simply doesn't matter what their legal obligations are. It's not the point. Saying one thing and doing another IS the point.

  11. Hang on by goose-incarnated · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You mean you're going to pay to have other people track you? If they want to track you so bad why not just make them pay?

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  12. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  13. Not CA's first time; and "digital"?! by Flexagon · · Score: 2

    IIRC, this isn't the first time that California has had an option for an expensive, unnecessary upgrade for license plates (other than vanity ones). I believe they used to offer a license plate with reflective material embedded in the paint that made them more visible in the dark. While potentially safer (those behind could potentially see you sooner with their headlight reflection), they did cost extra, and the regular license plates met all of the legal visibility requirements anyway.

    Second point: Since when did the logo for the now-absorbed company Digital Equipment Corporation become /.'s icon for generic digital things? That just seems wrong.

  14. Does it send signals to other motorists? by seoras · · Score: 2

    Could I press a button on my dash and have it flip the bird at the guy behind me for a brief second?

  15. Re:It's predicated on a governmental system by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 2

    That's a stupid retort. The whole thing is premised on a shit governmental system.

    You're premised on a governmental system, goober

  16. Would I pay them? by nedlohs · · Score: 2

    For something worse for me than a traditional liicense plate, but better for them?

    Wait, me pay them?!?! That's backward. And of course not.

  17. So what you're saying... by PortHaven · · Score: 3, Informative

    Is the government wants to know if you would pay $700 for an electric e-ink plate. That would allow them to track your vehicle for per mile taxing, and disable your license plate if your car is:

    a) stolen (plate changes to the word STOLEN), useful for the first year until thieves simply start using their own plates.

    b) EXPIRED - yup, if your inspection, emissions or registration expire, that is what your plate will read so cops pull you over quickly.

    c) Behind on your taxes? Likely display a similar alert.

    d) Insurance? Cause how long until the state wants the insurance company to send status alerts to them and your plated changes to UNINSURED. Pulled over again, even though your payment went thru - the system just didn't get updated over the 3-day weekend.

    e) Benefit? You paid $700 for about a $100 of technology. Basically a Kindle + GPS marker. What other benefit is there for you? NONE...

    This all benefits the state....

  18. Re: Well you did buy an Amazon Echo & iPhone. by kilfarsnar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What's changed since '75 ?

    Immigration.

    You think immigration is the only think to have changed since 1975? I'm not even sure that's true. Has immigration changed since 1975? I can't be bothered to find out. But the fact that you jump to that idea says a lot about you.

    Don't let fear control you. Look for ways you can make positive changes in your life to bring you more happiness or satisfaction. There have been and always will be immigrants. They are not your problem. Even if we closed all the borders and didn't let anyone in, your life would be largely the same. That's because your problem is your own mentality and outlook. But that's good news! You can change your outlook and see things differently if you choose to. You can't really do much about immigrants, except bitch about them on the Internet. So focus on yourself and what you are thinking and feeling. Any change in your life starts with you.

    --
    "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
  19. We all will, sooner or later by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    Obviously these will become mandatory sooner or later. This pilot program is likely not a direct prelude to that, just an attempt at fact-finding. The plates will also be V2V beacons which assist the network of autonomous vehicles.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  20. Re: Well you did buy an Amazon Echo & iPhone. by pr0fessor · · Score: 2

    Well you can't forget that since 1975 infant mortality is down, the life expectancy is up, and although the birth rate has dropped we are still talking about over 3 million up to 4.5 million a year for the past 43 years.

    By the way a complete idiot would be caught and deported so maybe they aren't doctors and lawyers but don't believe they are dumb. Imagine an illegal immigrant first has to get past boarder control and then avoid immigration and any law enforcement because if they are caught or arrested for anything they will be deported. They have no ID, no drivers license, no social security number are unable to work a legitimate job but somehow they are here for years with out so much as a speeding ticket.

  21. Why the hell would I do that? by Qbertino · · Score: 2

    Seriously: Why on Earth would I do such a super pointless thing that can only have negative consequences?

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca