I found this report on the California pilot program:
The summary says:
In general, there were no significant law enforcement, DMV, or customer concerns with any of the three pilot products
The section on the Arizona pilot breaks down the findings more clearly:
Through this testing, the Arizona Department of Transportation has found Digital License Plates:
Readable from a distance of 100 feet during daylight
Readable at night
Do not have glare that cause the plates to be difficult to read
Continue to operate when disconnected from the power source
Maintain functionality and readability in extreme temperatures
So the skepticism above on readability or temperature is unfounded. Though one funny bit is that the report mentions several traffic stops, all of which were because the officer didn’t believe it was a real plate. Although the officers got some additional education on the subject, at this point a nefarious user would be disinclined to use one, just because it’s a novelty and they might get pulled over just because the plate was unusual.
Interestingly, they also mention a license plate sticker/wrap that’s apparently been on the market for a while. That one I’m tempted to get, since the current front plates are kinda ugly and mess with the aerodynamics.
Ah! But the Stickers! I love stickers! My Igloo cooler has about $780 worth of registration stickers on it. (I never put them on the car. Cops don’t care. I put them on my cooler)
Hey, my DMV has this really good looking… oh, uh nevermind. It’s good to be a car hoarder!
When I was a kid my dad handed me registration stickers for both of the family cars and told me to go put them in place. I didn’t pay attention and accidentally put the wrong stickers on the wrong cars (each sticker had a specific license number printed on it and was intended for the license plate that had that same number). A few weeks later my dad had parked one of the cars facing the wrong way on the street in front of our house. A cop noticed, and stopped to check it out. Anybody with eyeballs could see from a distance that the sticker was the right color and valid for that year, but this guy actually got down on his fucking hands and knees to read the 6-point-font number on the registration sticker, at which point he discovered that it was not the correct sticker for that plate. He knocked on our door to let us know of the discrepancy.
If they work when disconnected to power, then there’s an easy solution to the problems noted here. Once they get the right number displayed, simply unplug them. You may have to replug them when updating the registration or something, but that should be only temporary.
Of course, this is only needed if they make them mandatory, since no one who’s concerned about these problems is going to get an optional one. And then they make it a violation to not have it plugged in. Hmmm, I think I just found the problem with my solution. Never mind.
Well, cutting the plate, stamping it, coloring it, faking the rgistration stickers, etc.
Sure, it can be done. But making a fake plate with an E-ink screen and an arduijo is easier.
Anyway, I’m just pointing out one of the many flaws. It may not be the most serious one, but it’s an issue.
Thr biggest thing for me is that this i troduces a whole bunch of complexity and cost for ‘benefits’ that do 't seem to do much for the car owner, but introduces security concerns and potential additional costs besides $5/mo to subscribe to a freaking license plate service on top of registration costs.
Those don’t typically involve government-level system hacking.They’d be the person who has your password and logs into your facebook and email accounts.