California Digital License Plates Coming To Dealer Near You

CALIFORNIA — In the latest wave of technology, digital California license plates will be available Friday, June 1 through select auto dealerships as part of an ongoing pilot program. Motorists can purchase the plates — called "Rplates"— at a cost of $699, a spokesperson for Silicon Valley-based Reviver Auto said Thursday in an email to Patch.

A California DMV spokesperson confirmed Reviver is working with the DMV to handle registration for the digital plates.

"There is no extra paperwork on the customer’s part," DMV Spokesperson Marty Greenstein told Patch, noting that as of May 29, there were 116 registered California digital license plates.

DMV established the pilot program under Senate Bill 806, legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013, allowing the department to evaluate alternatives to stickers, tabs, license plates and registration cards, Greenstein said.

Senate Bill 1399 signed in 2016 extended the DMV's deadline for launching a pilot program to Jan. 1, 2019.

The DMV opened the pilot program up for bidding to digital plate manufacturers and Reviver Auto was the lone bidder, Greenstein said.

As of Thursday, Reviver Auto's website showed nine auto dealerships where the plates would be available beginning Friday, June 1. Participating Northern California dealerships were located in the Bay Area and Sacramento; participating Southern California dealerships were in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

There are no costs for taxpayers associated with the contract/pilot program, Greenstein noted.

Currently, digital plates are just for the rear of the vehicle. The state requires front plates, so owners still must mount a standard plate there, according to the DMV.

"The DMV will continue to issue standard license plates for the vehicle during the pilot term, and digital license plate holders must retain their DMV-issued rear metal plate with current registration stickers in the vehicle," Greenstein said. "The vehicle owner also must keep a DMV letter of participation in the digital license program in the vehicle."

"The purpose of the pilot is to identify and detail potential benefits, so we are still in the evaluation phase and won’t make any determinations until the pilot concludes," Greenstein said.

The DMV has a deadline of July 1, 2020 for getting its report on the pilot program into the hands of state lawmakers.

A map of dealerships where California digital license plates will be available beginning June 1 can be found at Reviverauto.com/where-to-buy.

Photos courtesy Reviver Auto