Digital license plates are one step closer to becoming legal in the state of Colorado. The bill just passed the Colorado House of Representatives and would offer everyday consumers and fleet owners the chance to install the plates on the rear of vehicles if it’s approved by the General Assembly and the Governor.
Digital plates offer a number of potential benefits over the old-school aluminum stamped units we’ve all come to know. For one, they don’t require owners to update them in the conventional sense each year with new registration stickers. Once the yearly fee has been paid, the plate will automatically update with the current year.
In addition, in certain situations, they can be used to display important messages. Should a vehicle with a digital license plate be stolen, the plate itself can display the word ‘Stolen’ to alert authorities. They can also be used to display AMBER alerts and other information. Don’t worry though, they can’t be used as flashing advertisements.
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In addition, they provide owners with the ability to track the vehicle remotely. For fleet owners, this combination of features could prove invaluable. Having managed a fleet in the past myself, I can attest that the paperwork associated with keeping multiple vehicles on the road legally can be daunting. These plates would make that sort of job slightly easier and having the ability to track units in real-time will save a lot of phone calls and time.
Of course, everyday citizens will also have access to the technology if it does become legal. Instead of paying the state for the plate though, they’ll pay Reviver, the only company that makes them right now. Did we mention that they’re almost comically expensive?
Some have reported that they’re available for as little as $600 but the cheapest we could find was $899. Thankfully, that includes the first year of service. Oh, we might have forgotten to mention that there’s also a monthly charge on top of the fee after that first year.
Of course, you could always select the $19.95 a month option so long as you’re good with being locked in for 48 months. Buyers still need to run a front plate in Colorado and that will require a trip to the DMV. It’s already being used in other states like California, Michigan, and Arizona.
