For many car owners, renewing their registration is one of the more annoying (and easily forgotten) tasks on their car to-do lists. ReviverMX, of Sacramento, Calif., aims to change that with digital license plates, and it's using growing relationships with dealers to do so.
Reviver's digital license plates, known as Rplates, function via a cloud-based platform that connects vehicle owners with their cars and with state motor vehicle administrations over a wireless network.
"The most significant advantage to owning an Rplate is the ability to renew vehicle registration digitally," Reviver founder Neville Boston told Shift in an email conversation. "Registration renewal takes place through a highly intuitive smartphone app. The entire transaction is completed in two quick clicks and the plate renews itself."
Reviver was founded in 2009, and its first eight years were dedicated to designing the product and pushing for relevant legislation in California.
Though currently the plates can be sold only in California and Arizona, the company plans to reach adoption nationwide by 2025. However, this will depend upon each state's willingness to push through necessary legislation. As Boston noted, "Each state has its own unique set of laws regulating license plates. Adopting digital license plates is a legislative act unique to each state."
In addition, a number of other countries are working with Reviver to consolidate their own licensing compliance protocols using the platform, according to Boston.
Over the past year, Reviver has been distributing the Rplate through more than 50 California dealerships. Boston explained the process: "Reviver sells its Rplates directly to dealers, who install and display them on showroom floor vehicles bearing dealer-branded graphics on their displays and resell them with the vehicles to consumers."