Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is a digital license plate.
License plates have remained "virtually unchanged vestiges from the dawn of the automobile," said Eric Taub at The New York Times. No longer. The California company Reviver Auto is swapping out "old-fashioned stamped plates for digital screens." The plates, which are connected to a cellular network, have a screen that "can display anything," including vanity plates or a warning if a car is stolen. Businesses can also display ads on the plates when a car is parked, "even targeting a vehicle's particular location because the plate is connected to GPS."
The 2-pound unit uses electronic ink technology similar to that of eBook readers like Amazon's Kindle, but the dust-and-water–sealed screens used in the license plates can withstand wind and rain. Reviver has now begun a pilot program in California, though the first plates come with a hefty price of $699, plus an annual fee.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Week’s big New Year’s Day quiz 2026Quiz of the Year How much do you remember about 2025’s headlines? Put yourself to the test with our bumper quiz of the year
-
Is tanking ruining sports?Today's Big Question The NBA and the NFL want teams to compete to win. What happens if they decide not to?
-
‘Netflix needs to not just swallow HBO but also emulate it’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
