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Digital License Plates Are Now Allowed in Michigan (theverge.com)
Digital license plates are now allowed in Michigan thanks to a new state law. It will join California and Arizona as one of the few states in the US that allow digital license plates, allowing drivers to register their cars electronically and eschew old-school metal plates. From a report: To be clear, digital license plates consist of displays covered in glass that are mounted onto a frame. They come with their own computer chips and wireless communication systems. Some of the benefits of using digital licenses versus old metal ones are the ability to display Amber alerts or stolen vehicle messages when needed, but they could also make it easier to digitally renew license plates over the years. That comes at a price, though. Currently, they cost $499 for a basic version, and $799 for a premium version that features a GPS navigation add-on.
Seems like the ability to always know your location and/or shut off your ability to legally drive if you have unpaid tickets, warrants, or some other infraction is the only real advantage. I am sure banks will use this for people behind in payments too. I see no consumer advantage to this at all, but we get to pay extra for it.
Some of the benefits of using digital licenses versus old metal ones are the ability to display Amber alerts or stolen vehicle messages when needed
Not to seem callous but why would I pay (a lot) extra for the ability to display Amber alerts? And there already are pretty good and more affordable solutions for stolen cars.
Currently, they cost $499 for a basic version, and $799 for a premium version that features a GPS navigation add-on.
WTF could these things do that would possibly justify such a price point? I already have GPS in my car and my phone so that's a non-starter, especially given that it wouldn't probably be integrated into the car's infotainment system. If my car gets stolen that's what insurance is for and shockingly my insurance appears cheaper than these things. I'm all for doing things a better way but I don't see any meaningful benefit here.
In Belgium you get your license plate once. You take them with you when you get a new car. When you do not need them, you bring em back i.e. drop them off at the post office.
In the US you keep the plate but have to renew the registration every year. Usually costs about $20-25, plus tack on another $20 for yearly required emissions. So, even at $50 a year for registration the basic plate would take 10 years before the purchase price is paid off. Now, what are the odds that an electronic plate will last 10 years without damage/needing to be replaced/etc?
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
They are totally WORTHLESS for displaying amber alerts.
Typically, the police are looking for a particular vehicle during an Amber alert.
They idea is not to show that Amber alert on other people's cars. It's to make the target vehicle's license plate blink/flash/otherwise draw attention to the vehicle.
In Belgium you get your license plate once. You take them with you when you get a new car. When you do not need them, you bring em back i.e. drop them off at the post office.
In the US you keep the plate but have to renew the registration every year. Usually costs about $20-25, plus tack on another $20 for yearly required emissions. So, even at $50 a year for registration the basic plate would take 10 years before the purchase price is paid off. Now, what are the odds that an electronic plate will last 10 years without damage/needing to be replaced/etc?
You also pay a $7/month subscription fee for the plate; plus I doubt the DMV is going to lower the registration costs. I really don't see any great value beyond perhaps more unique vanity tags and the ability for the state to us it to identify vehicles, such as changing or flashing the number to Expired, Stolen, Amber Alert, etc. and to collect some extra cash each month. Of course, no one would figure out how to access it and change the display to something more interesting.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
It's extremely wasteful. None of these digital plates will make 10 years of life and just end up in landfills. You'd think California would have thought about the toxic e-waste these things are going to end up making.
There needs to be legislation to regulate such wasteful, throw away products. Digital plates should be made illegal at the federal level. Along with millions of other trinkets that corporations buy for giveaways (just as an example). They are all cheap throw away shit, consuming resources, polluting the environment in every step of their life from the production of the raw materials to the production of the product to the shipping of the product and then ending up in a landfill after it's used for 15 minutes and tossed.
The Amber alert angle is designed to sell the plates to the state government, who would then mandate them on cars. Or as a reason for someone like GM to integrate them into the car for OnStar's "we stop the bad guys" angle.
If they were mandated, presumably the cost would be lower due to the large volume produced. For now, it's a very niche product so it's expensive.
I have yet to see a single coherent argument for digital license plates.
Here's one: The implementation will probably be so shitty they will be hackable by the owner to display whatever you want. I'm sure a certain segment of society could find that useful.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
Or, you could just look at the odometer which correlates perfectly with milage.
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