Digital license plates for cars are spreading... But only in the United States

The automotive technology keeps moving forward and we always find something original and interesting that catches our attention. Now it’s the turn of the license plates, which may become digital. Well, they can do so in a country with fairly lax regulations such as the United States. There, for a few years now, cars can be fitted with RPlate.

These digital license plates have been created by the company Reviver Auto and are designed so that they can be updated without having to go to the offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), something that has to be done in states like California. The digital license plate measures 15×30 centimeters, similar to a normal one, but it is made up of a screen similar to that of an e-reader, that is, it works with digital ink.

On the screen you can read the number assigned to the car and all the information found on each conventional plate. That said, it can be personalized and display whatever message you want to add. This option is only available when the car is parked, since while driving it always shows the traditional information.

This could even make it possible to implement advertising, if desired. Currently it can only be used in California and Arizona, in test mode, and it is not yet fully approved. Even so, there are around 4,000 RPlate plates in both states. And soon these digital license plates will also be available in Michigan, a state with which they have been in talks to establish the use of this vehicle identification system.

Another advantage of this system is that it can include a GPS tracking system, which is quite useful. These digital license plates cost 499 dollars and include a battery that lasts 5 years and updates during that time. But that is not all: you also have to pay an annual subscription of 55 dollars or 4.99 euros per month.

This is possible in the United States, but in countries like Spain and in the European Union in general, where the regulations are stricter, incorporating a similar system will be much more difficult. For now, though, it remains an interesting curiosity that, who knows, may one day reach our country.