[KK6PD]

You'll soon be seeing an entirely new kind of license plate. For those of you who are tired of the mundane prison made stamped tin plate, there's this!

https://www.facebook.com/ABC10News/videos/2000569556652183/

Just the thing for the uber hip, and those who have way too much money!!! $699, plus a $7/month service charge.....

I'll pass, for now!
They should pay me to sport their new digital plate!
If it flys in California, watch out, the rest of the world is next!

 

[MsNothing]

This just seems like some sort of plot that would be seen on Supernatural to allow the boys to change their plates. I think it will likely get more scrutiny from cops, which leads to being pulled over more.

 

[dots]

Seems like a fun application of the e-ink tech. But paying $600 vs $3... kind of silly. Also, a quick poke by a vandal with a screwdriver would be easier and a bigger hassle than slashing a tire. Or even bumping into another object. Eg, I've hammered out and reshaped a mangled plate in a few minutes. I can think of other drawbacks, but price is certainly the biggest.

 

[cockedandglocked]

This seems like a terrible idea.


Not only is the price obscene, but this is almost certainly not going to be legal in most states - DEFINITELY won't be legal here in california. I can think of a few other reasons why this is a terrible idea.

 

[Kleen]

All these high tech "solutions" for something that should be kept as simple and practical as possible. Who's footing the bill to have it repaired if you get rear ended? What's to stop people from hacking it and showing incorrect plate numbers?

 

[achr]

So who are license plates actually for? They're certainly not for the vehicle owners for whom it is like trying to remember ANOTHER password.

They're simply there for police and meter-maids. Many jurisdictions require them on the front of the vehicle as well as the back. That's pretty insane from an aerodynamic perspective. Have you ever tried to actually read the front plate on a vehicle approaching you, even at speeds as low as 20 mph? Pretty much impossible. Obviously, this front one is just there for meter-maid ticketing convenience.

We live in the 21st century. Since the police are the ONLY ones interested in license plates anyway, could the vehicle VIN# and licensing information not simply be read by their onboard computers via BlueTooth or some other wireless technology? Obviously wouldn't work for existing older vehicles but could be incorporated in new vehicle production. Even if the police are live chasing a vehicle, they still have to get close enough to read the plate.

Time for this dinosaur technology to go without being replaced by some money grabbing 3rd party's alternative.

 

[cockedandglocked]

So who are license plates actually for? They're certainly not for the vehicle owners for whom it is like trying to remember ANOTHER password.

They're simply there for police and meter-maids. Many jurisdictions require them on the front of the vehicle as well as the back. That's pretty insane from an aerodynamic perspective. Have you ever tried to actually read the front plate on a vehicle approaching you, even at speeds as low as 20 mph? Pretty much impossible. Obviously, this front one is just there for meter-maid ticketing convenience.

We live in the 21st century. Since the police are the ONLY ones interested in license plates anyway, could the vehicle VIN# and licensing information not simply be read by their onboard computers via BlueTooth or some other wireless technology? Obviously wouldn't work for existing older vehicles but could be incorporated in new vehicle production. Even if the police are live chasing a vehicle, they still have to get close enough to read the plate.

Time for this dinosaur technology to go without being replaced by some money grabbing 3rd party's alternative.

The problem with wireless identification (RFID, bluetooth, etc), is that you wouldn't be able to identify a car from photo or video footage - you could only identify it if you're physically near the car.


Also, license plates are used for locating people. Amber alerts and other BOLO alerts would be useless. Sure, people can just change their plates if they don't want to be found, but it's still better than the nothing we'd have if nobody had plates anymore.

 

[fredct]

I really have to think that the impact of a front plate on aerodynamics/mpg is immeasurably small (e.g. less than the normal day to day variation). I tried to search but got nothing concrete.

 

[yticolev]

It is what happens to the air after it hits the front of the car that makes the difference. License plate? Radar unit? Unmeasurable I'd bet.