October 1, 2018 • 6 mins
California is one of the first states to allow digital license plates. Rich talks to an early adopter of the plates along with an installer to learn about the pros and cons of a 24/7 connected plate.Watch the TV segment:https://ktla.com/2018/10/01/california-digital-license-plate/Follow Rich on Social Media:Facebook: http://facebook.com/RichOnTechTwitter: http://twitter.com/richdemuroInstagram: http://instagram.com/richontech Easy ways to listen on your phone or smart speaker:"Hey Google, Play the Rich on Tech Podcast""Hey Siri, Play the Rich on Tech Podcast""Alexa, Enable the Rich on Tech Flash Briefing"
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
The license plate is going digital. What's going on? I'm
rich Demiro. This is rich on Tech. California is one
of the first states in the nation to allow new
digital license plates. Think of a kindle like display bolted
to your car's bumper. The digital plates are low energy
and display a basic image of your license plate number.
But there is more technology at work behind the scenes
(00:26):
that can help you pay tolls, broadcast emergency messages, and
even retrieve a stolen car. I talked to Josh Wendish,
a tech enthusiast and early adopter of the r plates.
He participated in a beta program so the company that
makes them, Reviver Auto, install them for free on his
car so he could test them out.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's really hard to evaluate a technology that kind of
fades into the background, because once you have it installed,
it's basically your license plate. It is kind of neat
that you can change the little message on the bottom.
It's neat that you don't have to worry about tags
like it automatically does the registration over the air, so
you don't have to worry about getting something in the
mail if that could get lost, or going to the DMV.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Now the plates cost seven hundred dollars, but they function
like standard license plates, except they are thicker and they
do require a power connection, so installation on the car
takes about an hour or two. There's both a GPS
and cellular connection built in, as well as a battery.
The display normally just shows your typical license plate number
along with virtual stickers for your registration, and that registration
(01:29):
is handled electronically, so when you renew your registration, the
virtual stickers are applied right on your digital plate. There's
also a small message at the bottom of the plates.
This can be customized from a long list of choices
that go way beyond the typical California license plate slogans,
and they can say things like I'd rather be playing
golf or Merry Christmas. As you might expect, fully personalized
(01:50):
sayings as in something you would be able to type in,
are not allowed. You could probably understand why. You can
also change the look of the display from black on
white to white on black.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I do get some questions from people. In fact, I
took my car in to get the oil change. They
asked about it. They thought I heard about this plate,
and you know, tell me about it, and you know,
so I try to give them the benefits. But it's
funny because as an end user, just like I said,
it's just my license plate, So I mean, how much
is there to explain?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Now? Because these plates are digital, there are some security
concerns for starters. They could theoretically be hacked. This will
allow someone to track the plate's location or even change
what's displayed on the screen. The company that makes them,
Reviver Auto, says the information from the plates, including usage
and telematic info, is never shared with a DMV, law enforcement,
or other third parties. The company also says the plate
(02:41):
is locked down to deter and detect any breaches or hacking.
They also use the same encryption banks used to protect
our money and regularly conduct tests to make sure the
plates are secure. Still, these plates are basically a mini
computer on your car, and that means they can crash.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
I ended up getting this plate as their beta testing
program early on because I'm a geek and I like
to get in on things early be an early adopter.
And when I got in on it, it's funny because
I only had one case when I came out and
the plate actually needed to be reset because it was
all scrambled and stuff. And I thought, oh great, now
I have to reboot my license plate. That's fun. But
(03:18):
other than that, other than that time during the beta program,
I haven't had any issues with it, so I think
it should be fine.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
I hope now. As if the seven hundred dollars price
tag plus installation isn't enough, the plates also carry a
monthly fee of seven dollars. Sure, you never have to
worry about sticking registration decals on your plate, and you
never have to worry about those getting stolen because they
can't be scraped off, and the plates can even display
a message that your car is stolen. But the high
price tag will certainly prohibit mass adoption of these new plates,
(03:48):
at least for now. Adam Fliner runs an automotive shop
in Hollywood that installs them.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I do hope that the price comes down a little bit.
I think right now it's in this price point where
the first adapters do have to pay for the initial
the initial want of it, they have to pay for
some of the research and development of it all. But
I do see as more states adopted and more people
(04:14):
adopt it after this pilot program. For the beginning the
first couple of years that the price will come down,
I think a little bit. I do think that they've
kept the yearly fee fairly reasonable. When we do go
get plates from the DMV, not the regular plates, but
specialty plates, we do pay per year, so it's kind
(04:36):
of the same thing. You know, you're paying just a
slight price above that. But if you just get your
regular plates and have these instead, so the yearly fees
are about the same. But for the initial investment, it's
a little bit. It's a little bit of an investment.
But from what you do, you do own your plates,
So if you do get rid of your car, we
(04:56):
can't take your R plate off and install it on
your new cars. So once your initial investment is done,
if you sell your car, we just take your plate
off and install it on your new car.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
So far, California the first state to fully adopt the
R plates, and Arizona seems to be next. Texas, Florida,
and Washington State have all passed programs to pilot or
test the digital plates, and like any technology, the price
of the plates is gotta come down. Remember how expensive
flat screen TVs were at the beginning. The tech benefits
are definitely there, but when it comes to privacy that
(05:26):
could be the toughest cell to consumers. Still, at a
time when cars themselves have a cellular connection and many
of the same features built in, it's not crazy to
imagine a time when cars are simply outfitted with a
similar digital display on the front and back bumpers that
can be programmed with appropriate information. Thanks so much for listening.
If you want to watch the TV version of this
(05:47):
segment and see these digital plates in action, just go
to my website it's Rich on tech dot tv, or
you can check the show notes. Thanks so much for
listening and putting up with my voice. Yes, I'm battling
a cold. I'm Rich sdimiro T. Talk to you, Wilson
The license plate is going digital. What's going on? I'm
rich Demiro. This is rich on Tech. California is one
of the first states in the nation to allow new
digital license plates. Think of a kindle like display bolted
to your car's bumper. The digital plates are low energy
and display a basic image of your license plate number.
But there is more technology at work behind the scenes
(00:26):
that can help you pay tolls, broadcast emergency messages, and
even retrieve a stolen car. I talked to Josh Wendish,
a tech enthusiast and early adopter of the r plates.
He participated in a beta program so the company that
makes them, Reviver Auto, install them for free on his
car so he could test them out.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's really hard to evaluate a technology that kind of
fades into the background, because once you have it installed,
it's basically your license plate. It is kind of neat
that you can change the little message on the bottom.
It's neat that you don't have to worry about tags
like it automatically does the registration over the air, so
you don't have to worry about getting something in the
mail if that could get lost, or going to the DMV.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Now the plates cost seven hundred dollars, but they function
like standard license plates, except they are thicker and they
do require a power connection, so installation on the car
takes about an hour or two. There's both a GPS
and cellular connection built in, as well as a battery.
The display normally just shows your typical license plate number
along with virtual stickers for your registration, and that registration
(01:29):
is handled electronically, so when you renew your registration, the
virtual stickers are applied right on your digital plate. There's
also a small message at the bottom of the plates.
This can be customized from a long list of choices
that go way beyond the typical California license plate slogans,
and they can say things like I'd rather be playing
golf or Merry Christmas. As you might expect, fully personalized
(01:50):
sayings as in something you would be able to type in,
are not allowed. You could probably understand why. You can
also change the look of the display from black on
white to white on black.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I do get some questions from people. In fact, I
took my car in to get the oil change. They
asked about it. They thought I heard about this plate,
and you know, tell me about it, and you know,
so I try to give them the benefits. But it's
funny because as an end user, just like I said,
it's just my license plate, So I mean, how much
is there to explain?
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Now? Because these plates are digital, there are some security
concerns for starters. They could theoretically be hacked. This will
allow someone to track the plate's location or even change
what's displayed on the screen. The company that makes them,
Reviver Auto, says the information from the plates, including usage
and telematic info, is never shared with a DMV, law enforcement,
or other third parties. The company also says the plate
(02:41):
is locked down to deter and detect any breaches or hacking.
They also use the same encryption banks used to protect
our money and regularly conduct tests to make sure the
plates are secure. Still, these plates are basically a mini
computer on your car, and that means they can crash.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
I ended up getting this plate as their beta testing
program early on because I'm a geek and I like
to get in on things early be an early adopter.
And when I got in on it, it's funny because
I only had one case when I came out and
the plate actually needed to be reset because it was
all scrambled and stuff. And I thought, oh great, now
I have to reboot my license plate. That's fun. But
(03:18):
other than that, other than that time during the beta program,
I haven't had any issues with it, so I think
it should be fine.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
I hope now. As if the seven hundred dollars price
tag plus installation isn't enough, the plates also carry a
monthly fee of seven dollars. Sure, you never have to
worry about sticking registration decals on your plate, and you
never have to worry about those getting stolen because they
can't be scraped off, and the plates can even display
a message that your car is stolen. But the high
price tag will certainly prohibit mass adoption of these new plates,
(03:48):
at least for now. Adam Fliner runs an automotive shop
in Hollywood that installs them.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
I do hope that the price comes down a little bit.
I think right now it's in this price point where
the first adapters do have to pay for the initial
the initial want of it, they have to pay for
some of the research and development of it all. But
I do see as more states adopted and more people
(04:14):
adopt it after this pilot program. For the beginning the
first couple of years that the price will come down,
I think a little bit. I do think that they've
kept the yearly fee fairly reasonable. When we do go
get plates from the DMV, not the regular plates, but
specialty plates, we do pay per year, so it's kind
(04:36):
of the same thing. You know, you're paying just a
slight price above that. But if you just get your
regular plates and have these instead, so the yearly fees
are about the same. But for the initial investment, it's
a little bit. It's a little bit of an investment.
But from what you do, you do own your plates,
So if you do get rid of your car, we
(04:56):
can't take your R plate off and install it on
your new cars. So once your initial investment is done,
if you sell your car, we just take your plate
off and install it on your new car.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
So far, California the first state to fully adopt the
R plates, and Arizona seems to be next. Texas, Florida,
and Washington State have all passed programs to pilot or
test the digital plates, and like any technology, the price
of the plates is gotta come down. Remember how expensive
flat screen TVs were at the beginning. The tech benefits
are definitely there, but when it comes to privacy that
(05:26):
could be the toughest cell to consumers. Still, at a
time when cars themselves have a cellular connection and many
of the same features built in, it's not crazy to
imagine a time when cars are simply outfitted with a
similar digital display on the front and back bumpers that
can be programmed with appropriate information. Thanks so much for listening.
If you want to watch the TV version of this
(05:47):
segment and see these digital plates in action, just go
to my website it's Rich on tech dot tv, or
you can check the show notes. Thanks so much for
listening and putting up with my voice. Yes, I'm battling
a cold. I'm Rich sdimiro T. Talk to you, Wilson
Host
Rich DeMuro
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