E-Plates - the future of driving

License plates may not seem like a product that requires improvement, but Compliance Innovations begs to differ. They've come up with "e-plates" that use an electronic ink display. They cost a lot more than traditional plates — over $100 versus less than $5. However, they allow the DMV or police to remotely change what the license plate displays. So if you're late with your registration payment, "Expired" appears in bright red letters. No state has yet decided to adopt these e-plates, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. [epoch times]

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Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 25, 2013
Category: Government | Cars

Comments

Who cares about cost!?! It will just be passed along to John & Suzy Q.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 06/25/13 at 09:19 AM

I want glass that shows a message to that idiot ahead of me who just cut in on my lane. Or shows the finger to the dimbulb tailgating me.

Posted by KDP on 06/25/13 at 10:10 AM

Oh what a good idea, as we know the government never makes mistakes, no cop would 'accidentally' change someone to expired because he didn't like them, and computers never ever malfunction. :roll:

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 06/25/13 at 11:16 AM

Computers malfunction a hell of a lot less than the idiots running them. And I should know!

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 06/25/13 at 11:29 AM

No doubt about that sweetie. 😉

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 06/25/13 at 12:15 PM

Cynical side comment: Funny thing, out here in California $100 wouldn't add much to the cost of vehicle registration.

Biting criticism: These plates are obsolete before they even come on the market. With plate scanning technology, the police already know instantly from your old fashioned metal plate whether your car is uninsured or whatever. That approach is a lot harder to hack, too.

Posted by Eugene on 06/25/13 at 11:05 PM

And no one, ever, is going to hack this. Honest. No, really.

Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 06/26/13 at 12:07 AM

It was always my dream that the government would make life more expensive for a project that would make life harder while providing little or no benefit to myself. So obviously I am all in favour of this.

Posted by Caio McCaioson Ibn Caio on 06/27/13 at 10:01 PM

Poof! Your wish has been granted.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 06/28/13 at 12:03 AM

These e-ink plates remind me of the old James Bond film where the license plate flipped over to change the number.

I notice on the sample image that the plate number is shrunk down and moved to the bottom of the plate when the words appear. I assume that means that if the plate number can be moved, it can also be changed.

As TheCannyScot said above, if these go into production, they will be hacked. People will be able to change their tag numbers at will.

This system really serves no purpose as a license plate tag. However, on states that do not require a front plate, it could make on heck of a vanity plate since it can be changed electonically!

Posted by Kyle Morgan on 06/28/13 at 12:16 PM

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