Update 14 Oct. 2022: The “Kindle” of license plates—Reviver’s connected, digital RPlate—is now legal for use by any California car-owner, following a 10,000-car pilot that started in 2018. The California Motor Vehicle Digital Number Plates bill that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed this month authorizes digital replacements for conventional license plates, stickers, tabs, and registration cards, including the first-to-market Reviver product.

Outside of California, the device has been approved for use by commercial fleet vehicles in Michigan, Arizona, and Texas, and 10 additional U.S. states are considering authorization.

The battery-operated RPlate for consumers currently sells as a subscription service for $19.95 per month for 48 months; a hard-wired version for commercial vehicles sells for $24.95 per month.

In the story below (originally published 18 June 2018), we describe the RPlate and its potential uses; most of these details—other than the pricing structure—haven’t changed.

That license plate frame sporting a dealership name, sports team logo, or your favorite superhero? That’s so last year.

This year, auto dealers in California will be able to go beyond personalized license plate frames to sell “Kindle-ized” license plates, in which the entire plate can display custom text and graphics using e-paper technology. These displays can be updated remotely, with such updates replacing the little date stickers that must be reapplied each year when registration is renewed.

And, when the car is stopped, drivers will also be able to reduce the license number to a small window and use the rest of the screen for a different graphic. (Though I