Startup plans digital license plates

[...] a San Francisco company called Reviver wants to reinvent the plates, with an interactive digital display called rPlate that can automatically update DMV registration, display messages and images and handle vehicle and fleet tracking.

“The license plate is the only aspect of the auto that has not changed since its inception,” said Scot Gensler, Reviver president.

The company has a few dozen test plates on cars and plans to introduce the devices by midyear in California, Florida, Arizona and Texas — states where it has or soon will have regulators’ approval.

At 6-by-12-inches with an antireflective LCD screen that displays license numbers, the rPlate looks like a traditional license plate, albeit somewhat brighter.

While it’s clear that Reviver would be happy to reap revenue that way, it’s less obvious why drivers would want to turn their cars into digital ad showcases.

Once it begins marketing to consumers, the company might offer rPlates at lower cost to those who are willing to display ads.

For consumers, as well as for fleet managers, the biggest selling point may be automatic vehicle registration renewal, which Gensler believes could be paid through a stored credit card with the push of a button.

“This is one of those products that will likely see quick adoption over the next few years and will become a key aspect of the connected car landscape,” said auto industry analyst Cliff Banks in an email.

The possibilities are numerous, beginning with the immediate benefit of being able to automate the vehicle registration process in the DMV, which we all know is costly and time consuming.