Electronic licence plates can be invalidated remotely

South Carolina may introduce electronic licence plates that use electronic ink to signal when a car is stolen, suspended or uninsured.

The Tennessee Government has already brought drivers’ licence registration into the 21st century by using self-service iPads for renewals. Now South Carolina may introduce electronic licence plates that use electronic ink to signal when a car is stolen, suspended or uninsured.

Developed by Compliance Innovations, the plates – also known as eTags – can retain a digital image of the licence number for over ten years using similar technology to that found in e-readers. The plate is powered by electricity collected from the vibrations of the car when it’s in motion, as well as an ultra-thin transparent solar panel overlayed on top of the plate. Being electronic, the plate can be updated remotely by the state DMV when a driver’s licence becomes invalid or if the car is reported as stolen. This would alert authorities and members of the public who could report the whereabouts of the vehicle, speeding up the process of getting it off the road and making it safer for other drivers.

Although still currently in the prototype stage, Compliance Innovations has proposed the solution to South Carolina as a pilot program, which – if successful – could see the plates rolled out. Although more expensive to produce than typical USD 7 plates, the company is trying to get the cost down to below USD 100. Even at this cost, states could save a considerable amount by more efficiently getting uninsured drivers and criminals off the road. Could this be the future of vehicle registration?

Spotted by: Murray Orange