Digital license plates approved for all vehicles in California

Digital license plates that can display information other than a car's license plate number are now legal for all vehicles in California. At the end of September, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 984 into law, which makes the e-ink displays a legal alternative to the traditional metal plate. The move comes after a successful 2018 pilot program—one that Ars tested out at the time.

The revised legislation sets out the conditions for using an e-ink plate (referred to in the bill as an "alternative device"). For example, a malfunctioning digital license plate would be a correctable violation—the law also requires "a process for frequent notification" if the digital plate breaks or needs replacing. And altering, forging, counterfeiting, or other hacking of the plates will be a felony.

"As a member of the California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, I am thrilled to build upon the past successes of the Legislature that first implemented this program. AB 984 strikes a necessary balance between innovation and privacy while digitizing the only thing on our cars today that remains antiquated, license plates," said California Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who co-authored the bill.

Currently, there's just a single approved digital license plate manufacturer, Reviver. The company's product, called the RPlate, uses a monochromatic e-ink screen protected by a lens or cover that Reviver says is "six times stronger than glass." The plate also includes Bluetooth low energy and LTE "for low power IoT," powered by a five-year battery. The RPlate displays the vehicle's license number but can also switch to display other messages via a smartphone app—information showing that the vehicle is stolen or displaying Amber Alert information, for example.

In the past, Reviver sold RPlates to customers; the version we tested in 2018 cost $700 plus a $7-per-month service fee. But now the company has moved to a subscription model, which for a personal vehicle will cost $19.95 per month for 48 months, or $215.40 a year for four years.

There's also a wired version aimed at fleet customers and commercial vehicles that ditches Bluetooth and the battery but adds GPS and backlighting. It's also slightly more expensive at $24.95 monthly for 48 months, or $275.40 annually for four years.

When Ars tried out the RPlate in 2018, there was concern that these smart plates would make automatic license plate readers obsolete.

However, the California law acknowledges that there are privacy implications. It "generally prohibit(s)" equipping a digital license plate with GPS, although fleets and commercial vehicles are exempted from that requirement.

Employers are not supposed to use digital license plates to track or surveil their employees, but "the bill would allow an employer to use an alternative device to locate, track, watch, listen to, or otherwise surveil an employee during work hours if strictly necessary for the performance of the employee’s duties."

However, any fleet that's an early adopter of digital license plates is almost certainly using a fleet management platform that already monitors the behavior and location of its drivers at work (Reviver has a platform for fleets that integrates with the smart plates).

A larger unanswered question is whether smart license plates offer enough personal utility to see widespread adoption beyond commercial vehicles and fleets. And if the thought of a $20/month subscription is too much to bear but you don't want a metal plate like everyone else on the road, California also just legalized using a license plate wrap instead.