Next-Generation Tags

      Will the Maryland Department of Transportation unscrew license-plate tradition? Digital plates that resemble electronic tablets are now in a two-year trial run on 20 test vehicles.

     Maryland is one of the first states on the East Coast to enter the pilot program. Arizona, California and Michigan already allow the technology.

     Reviver, a private company, makes the digital Rplate. The plates update instantaneously with new tags. They can also flash warning signs if the car is stolen and display Amber Alerts. 

     What would digital plates mean for Maryland’s standard and specialty license plates? “Digital plates could pave a path toward more sophisticated designs in the future,” says Chesapeake Bay Trust executive director Jana Davis. The specialty Bay plate helps fund the Trust and its education and restoration programs.

     For now, digital plates are not cost-effective. Digital plates in California exceed $500 with tax. If and when they come to Maryland vehicles, they would not, says Department of Transportation’s Chrissy Nizer, “be mandatory for all our drivers.” So traditional plates still have a future in Maryland.