Would You Pay $700, Plus a Monthly Fee, For a Digital License Plate? (arstechnica.com) 337
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.
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.
Would I? (Score:5, Insightful)
NO.
Hell No.
Like *Pay ME* to wear it. You know - like like.
Re:Would I? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yup.
$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 [wikipedia.org].
Re:Would I? (Score:5, Insightful)
How can you even think of offering this to customers. You must think we are really stupid.
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I am in New York. They are phasing out the white plates back to the yellow ones. However you can keep the white ones, as long as you can transfer them to an other car.
The yellow ones which cost more, are also of a cheaper build quality and I am seeing many of them starting to flake off.
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Re: Well you did buy an Amazon Echo & iPhone. (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
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Well you can't forget that since 1975 infant mortality is down, the life expectancy is up, and although the birth rate has dropped we are still talking about over 3 million up to 4.5 million a year for the past 43 years.
By the way a complete idiot would be caught and deported so maybe they aren't doctors and lawyers but don't believe they are dumb. Imagine an illegal immigrant first has to get past boarder control and then avoid immigration and any law enforcement because if they are caught or arrested for
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There are find my car apps for your phone which you say I parked here. Then when you go where is my car it will show you where to go. These apps are free.
And all bumper stickers do is annoy other people.
Re:Would I? (Score:5, Funny)
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Indeed. I'm failing to see the benefit of this device. There are already trackers on the market for much less you can place on your car. I don't see the advantage of having an e-ink license plate. Why have something fragile on the back of my car when I can have a $2 piece of metal on the back.
This is the modern tech world. It has brought you such innovations as the vending machine, taxi, roommates, and the electric juicer! It's really an indication that our society's needs are so overfilled that people are having a harder and harder time coming up with new, real value.
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My phone remembers where I parked automatically if I have location history turned on.
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"it's probably easy to change the data on it in case you want to be incognito"
So, you rob a bank, drive away quickly, press a button, your license plate tries to call home. And your license plater number changes to ERROR404.
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I’m sure it won’t be ‘easy’ to change the number, but the one market I can see for this device is criminals who will take advantage of the first successful hack.
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Fhat's the reaction a lot of us had in the 70s when it first became fashionable to wear clothing with branding prominently displayed. What kind of fool turns himself into a billboard for a clothing manufacturer?
It turns out, the answer was a commonplace fool.
Approved Messages: Let's get started ... (Score:5, Insightful)
... optionally display DMV-approved customized messages in a small font below the plate number itself.
"Sucker on board."
Maybe on an Aston Martin... (Score:5, Funny)
I would get one of these, if it let switch between other license plates that weren't registered in my name.
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I'm trying to think of what other possible purpose is served for it to have an electronic screen at all, and am coming up blank. None of the other gizmos would seem to benefit from it, and it's not like you spend much time looking at your own license plate.
Now, an e-ink "bumper sticker" I could see - but a license plate? I can't think of any use that wouldn't seem right at home in a James Bond movie.
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I'm trying to think of what other possible purpose is served for it to have an electronic screen at all, and am coming up blank
Suppose you manage a large vehicle fleet, like UPS, FedEx or a large trucking company. Having something like this would be very handy as it would allow you integrate some handy location tracking, along with perhaps the ability to blank the plate if the vehicle is stolen (makes it it stick out more to law enforcement, for example). You already have to track your vehicle locations and something like this has the potential to simplify the whole operation since the DMV-registered plate identifier would automat
Re: Maybe on an Aston Martin... (Score:5, Insightful)
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?
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Exactly, not to mention it's pretty trivial to swap a new plate (and leave the fancy GPS plate in the trash behind.)
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On the plus side you might get a free rugged daylight-readable large format screen with GPS receiver and cellular modem next time you go dumpster diving.
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You're not factually wrong, but I do think you are overestimating the intelligence of the kind of people that would steal a delivery truck.
The idea of being able to remotely change the content to "~STOLEN~" is itself is a neat idea.
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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?
The point is the RFID and the GPS tracking of your vehicle, silly! For when cell phone tracking isn't enough, the government needs a way to track you without having to get a warrant
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I think there's an app for that.
Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
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Suppose you manage a large vehicle fleet, like UPS, FedEx or a large trucking company.
Then you probably already have this. Most fleets I know have GPS tracking, dash-cam and cab-cam already.
Re:Maybe on an Aston Martin... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
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I don't understand (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I don't understand (Score:5, Interesting)
Hacking (Score:2)
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the chance of it failing so that you have no licence plate
That sounds like a plus.
Keeping hands clean ... (Score:5, Funny)
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 ... (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:Keeping hands clean ... (Score:4, Informative)
$500 fine here if you don't have the sticker on the plate. Doesn't matter if you have it with you, once the expiry date passes, you better hope for a nice cop who lets you put it on right then.
Re:Keeping hands clean ... (Score:4, Funny)
If they can't change the rules to something more sensible using modern standards, what makes you think you won't be required to put a sticker on your e-plate ?
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No lie, I bought the new sticker and forgot to put it on (I think it was pouring rain when I bought the sticker, otherwise I do it in the city hall parking lot).
A month later I get a ticket for expired tabs parked in a city-owned lot. I tried to fight it -- I had the registration date-stamped by the registrar with the tabs bought before expiration, and I claimed the tabs were on the car. Since I didn't get tagged in person, I thought it was worth a try.
The "referee" who handles these things wasn't buying
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Or you could just discard the frame, so that you no longer need to unscrew anything in order to apply the new sticker.
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the misery of aligning screws with threads four times
Jesus H Christ on a tricycle, that is pathetic.
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the misery of aligning screws with threads four times
I guess I'm the only one who read that post as being sarcastic. That line was the clincher for me.
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Seems like a $1 magnetic mount/alignment system would be equally effective at relieving your woes but also 1/1000th the price and free from privacy invading tracking systems.
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So that it can blank your number plate when speeding.
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Might as well ask why anyone would sign up for the Bookface. To be part of the in-crowd and prove you're on the clueless edge of technology!
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Because "new", "convenient"
How is it "convenient"? What is the benefit to the user?
too lazy to simply have a non-license plate-based tracker built into the car, whatever.
If you carry a cell phone, you already have a tracker.
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You can be like James Bond and push a button (there's an app for that!) that changes the plate! Think of how cool that could be...
Or not.
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Never heard of the guy before today, and it turns out there's a really good reason for that--he's a wacko.
The worst of Objectivism *and* Creationism rolled up into one tidy package, pretty much. So, yes, a nutjob, pretty much.
See also: Pseudolaw [rationalwiki.org].
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Go search "Larken Rose"... Learn about "The Tiny Dot"...
That was possibly one of the most stupid and willful misrepresentations I've ever seen.
Price too high (Score:2)
this is stupid, the price should be below $100, expecially if they want to mass produce it.. AND covered by rego costs.
and as you have the SAME result with a metal plate, with NO monthly fee, anyone who buys this is plain idiotic and is just doing it for attention.
So let me get this straight-- (Score:5, Insightful)
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?
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Surely the fact that eInk displays are far more prone to breaking and being hacked than the sheets of metal they’re replacing is a feature, right?
If you’re willing to throw money away like this, why not just go the Steve Jobs (yes, he really did this) route of leasing a new car every few months so you can take advantage of the no-plates grace period that comes with new cars in California, that way you don’t need any plates at all?
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Isn't the license plate supposed to go with the CAR, not the DRIVER?
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I would steal it (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously... Free e-ink display!! I would totally steal your number plate.
I just need like 20 plates to make one big screen. Then I can read my kindle from my sofa whilst it's on my wall. Perfect.
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Money flow is in the wrong direction (Score:3)
e-ink is too slow ...to avoid speed cameras (Score:2)
FIxed it for you (Score:2)
No way in hell. (Score:2)
Not even if the plate read "California needs Lex Luthor's nuclear missle!"
Please be more subtle about trolling (Score:5, Informative)
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...
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Nothing in the latter quoted section conflict with the former quoted section.
They don't share your information, they will market on behalf of partners (that to me sounds like this company screens their partners and contains all interaction with their data to themselves, not the partners).
Obviously trip logging for the GPS aspect of the application. If they tout a feature to find your vehicle and see driving history, then wouldn't they *need* to log trips?
Lastly please point out an American company that wou
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Nothing in the latter quoted section conflict with the former quoted section.
It ALL does.
They don't share your information, they will market on behalf of partners (that to me sounds like this company screens their partners and contains all interaction with their data to themselves, not the partners).
WRONG. Privacy policy says they can share it for ANY PURPOSE so long as it is not personally identifying. "Personally identifying" is a meaningless restriction that conveys no useful information.
This is like NSA arguing with a straight face in front of congress they only collect phone numbers not names and addresses. Even IP addresses in the US are not considered personally identifying neither is a list of everywhere you go with your name removed from it. The qualifier is absolutely meaningl
Hang on (Score:3, Insightful)
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Legislation (Score:2)
Only if forced to by government legislation. Or is that what the article is implying will eventually happen?
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Not CA's first time; and "digital"?! (Score:3)
IIRC, this isn't the first time that California has had an option for an expensive, unnecessary upgrade for license plates (other than vanity ones). I believe they used to offer a license plate with reflective material embedded in the paint that made them more visible in the dark. While potentially safer (those behind could potentially see you sooner with their headlight reflection), they did cost extra, and the regular license plates met all of the legal visibility requirements anyway.
Second point: Since when did the logo for the now-absorbed company Digital Equipment Corporation [wikipedia.org] become /.'s icon for generic digital things? That just seems wrong.
Does it send signals to other motorists? (Score:3)
Could I press a button on my dash and have it flip the bird at the guy behind me for a brief second?
Customized plates and pictures? (Score:2)
Can you customize it to have custom pictures, plate numbers, or text?
If not, it's pointless.
Would I pay $700? (Score:2)
Would You Pay $700, Plus a Monthly Fee, For a Digital License Plate?
No. Hell no. Absolutely, positively no.
Land of the free (Score:2, Offtopic)
Is this one of those things like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is actually the opposite of a Democracy?
Would I pay them? (Score:3)
For something worse for me than a traditional liicense plate, but better for them?
Wait, me pay them?!?! That's backward. And of course not.
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RFID and GPS combined with something else (Score:2)
So... Why wouldn't you buy an RFID+GPS steering wheel that allows you to see where your car is and track your trips? Or maybe an RFID+GPS door handle, for the same reason? Or even an RFID+GPS whatever? Also: what is the advantage for you of displaying ads in your plate?
If you want to track your trip, buy a GPS device (or even better: use your phone, which already has a GPS). If you want to see where your car is, buy a location device (for much less than $700). This is nonsense.
This is clearly the stupidest thing ever (Score:2)
Yeah! Not only is it ridiculously expensive, but now the authorities can presumably turn your license plate into a flashing orange beacon at their whim. Good thinking! *facepalm*
Will it improve my quality of life? (Score:2)
I always ask my self if the price on gadgets will improve my quality of life more than the amount of work it took to earn that money.
I can't possibly see how 700$ + a monthly fee.
You can buy a GPS tracker for less than 50$ that plugs into the ODB connector and I can get a SIM card for 4$ a month if tracking is what I want.
Why is it even legal? (Score:2)
Depends (Score:2)
Do I get to determine what the plate reads AND is it legal to do so?
If no ... what is it good for?
What the hell is the point (Score:2)
Devising a replacement that uses e-ink to display the same information, costs a fortune and offers marginal, highly questionable benefits has to be the dumbest business idea ever. And if I had to track the location of a vehicle for some reason I wouldn't put that device outside the car where it would be subjected to the elements and easily sto
What problem does this solve? (Score:2)
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.
Great, a $700 screen to do something I can do with a $1 piece of stamped metal which won't fall apart the first winter it is exposed to and won't be stolen by some merry pranksters.
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.
I know where my car is because I'm driving it. If it gets stolen I doubt this fancy license plate will help since it would be removed almost immediately. Same with tracking my trips which my smartphone handles more than adequately and can do other things besides. And WhyTF would I want a DMV approved message on my plate? I ca
ahem (Score:2)
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.
Well, you don't do your banking on it, your private emails, nor does it track you when you are not actually in the car ... so it beats your phone.
So what you're saying... (Score:4, Informative)
Is the government wants to know if you would pay $700 for an electric e-ink plate. That would allow them to track your vehicle for per mile taxing, and disable your license plate if your car is:
a) stolen (plate changes to the word STOLEN), useful for the first year until thieves simply start using their own plates.
b) EXPIRED - yup, if your inspection, emissions or registration expire, that is what your plate will read so cops pull you over quickly.
c) Behind on your taxes? Likely display a similar alert.
d) Insurance? Cause how long until the state wants the insurance company to send status alerts to them and your plated changes to UNINSURED. Pulled over again, even though your payment went thru - the system just didn't get updated over the 3-day weekend.
e) Benefit? You paid $700 for about a $100 of technology. Basically a Kindle + GPS marker. What other benefit is there for you? NONE...
This all benefits the state....
We all will, sooner or later (Score:3)
Obviously these will become mandatory sooner or later. This pilot program is likely not a direct prelude to that, just an attempt at fact-finding. The plates will also be V2V beacons which assist the network of autonomous vehicles.
Why the hell would I do that? (Score:3)
Seriously: Why on Earth would I do such a super pointless thing that can only have negative consequences?
Re: Why would anyone do this? (Score:2)
The best reason I can come up with would be swapping out plates but other that criminals, not sure who needs or wants that ability. Possibly some sort of car dealer or interstate truck.
Another possible reason might be to have the ability to turn off your plate while parked but not even sure if that is legal.
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A more useful trick would be to use a bit of machine vision to detect what color the traffic light is and then turn it off if the intersection is listed in a red light camera database....
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A more useful trick would be to use a bit of machine vision to detect what color the traffic light is and then turn it off if the intersection is listed in a red light camera database....
What, so you can jump the light without getting caught by anything but the car that t bones you?
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Look again. That's not BeauHD.
"digital" dilemma (Score:2)
Are these PDP-11s or VAXen or what? And what type?
In any case, they're certainly trailing edge [trailing-edge.com]...
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A GUI map of every car that stops, parks, meets up in real time.
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That's a stupid retort. The whole thing is premised on a shit governmental system.
You're premised on a governmental system, goober
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I would GLADLY pay $700 if - the license plate means I will not be stopped for merely exceeding the posted speed limit. I've "prepaid my fine" and so long as I'm not in an accident the license plate is a license to exceed that limit. - I can display messages at my heart's content, so if the person behind me doesn't understand safe following distances I can smartphone-app a message to the license plate... something polite.... of course.
So not only do you want carte blanche for speeding you also want to operate this thing while driving to send snarky messages? And have the gall to mention the safe (or not) habits of others.