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

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.

Comments

Would I?

[charliemerritt03]

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

Re:Would I?

[msauve]

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.

Re:Would I?

[Askmum]

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.

Re:Would I?

[msauve]

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

Approved Messages: Let's get started ...

[fahrbot-bot]

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

"Sucker on board."

Maybe on an Aston Martin...

[bosef1]

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

Re: Maybe on an Aston Martin...

[Malc]

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?

Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin...

[jrumney]

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.

Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin...

[Mashiki]

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.

I don't understand

[JeffOwl]

Why would anyone do this?

Re:I don't understand

[ark1]

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?

So let me get this straight--

[Chris Mattern]

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?

Keeping hands clean ...

[drnb]

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.

Re:Keeping hands clean ...

[Zaelath]

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.

Please be more subtle about trolling

[WaffleMonster]

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...

Re: Well you did buy an Amazon Echo & iPhone.

[kilfarsnar]

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.