The Motor Vehicle Digital Number Plates Bill (AB 984), passed earlier this month, allows California vehicle owners to use the digital plates, made exclusively by California company Reviver.
The plates, which resemble tablets. connect to an app that offers registration renewal, vehicle location services and security features — such as reporting a vehicle stolen. They are the same shape and size as traditional license plates, and give users the option to change the plate’s background color by toggling between a light or dark mode. Motorists can also personalize a banner message on the plate.
Besides the obvious risk of hacking, what happens when the iPad bolted to the front of the car is hit from debris in the road, or is backed into by a pickup’s trailer hitch? A bent metal license plate is still readable; a smashed LCD probably won’t be.
Ars Technica notes that digital license plates aren’t the only cutting edge option for California drivers.
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