Reviver, a company that manufactures digital license plates, has finally received the approval to sell their plates in the state of Michigan in the USA. Michigan now becomes the third state in the USA to approve the sale of digital license plates, and while Reviver expected this to happen in 2021, the company says that there are "more than 10 additional U.S. states" in "various stages of adoption". Though these plates are only on sale in these three states currently, they are legal to use in all 50 states as well as Canada and Mexico.
The display on the digital license plates can be customised to show dark and light modes, and the banner message can be changed too.
These digital license plates are essentially displays which can change the information on them as needed. You can even customise the look on them by switching to light and dark modes, and can also change the banner message. Additionally, the plates can display other information like amber alerts as and when required. These plates don't display the validity on them, as post the expiration date the plates just display "invalid". They come in two versions, a battery powered one and a hard wired one, but they come with a hefty monthly subscription fee. The battery powered plates are available at a fee of about $20 (about Rs. 1,560) a month, while the hard wired plates cost about $25 (about Rs. 1,950). The batteries in the battery powered plates are expected to need a replacement every 5 years.
The digital license plates can help you track your vehicle and display an alert on them if the car is stolen.
The costs of owning these digital license plates may be on the high side, but they come with their share of benefits too. For example, the plates come with a built in tracker system, which sends a smartphone alert every time the car moves, and if it is stolen, you can report it on the app and the plates will also display the message alerting that this vehicle is stolen. Whether these features are worth the hefty price tag in the age of connected car tech, is something that the consumers in the three states will be left to decide for themselves.
