You can now get a digital license plate in California - Axios San FranciscoLog InLog InAxios San Francisco is an Axios company.

You can now get a digital license plate in California

Photo: Courtesy of Reviver Welcome to the future, Californians. You can now replace your analog license plates with digital ones. State of play: Gov. Gavin Newsom late last month, turning a pilot program that was set to expire in January 2023, into law. The program, created in 2018, enabled about 17,000 drivers to purchase digital license plates from Foster City-based Reviver.Reviver is currently the only company approved to sell digital plates in the state, simply because no other company has proposed a similar product to the DMV as of Thursday, . Details: The license plates are 6-by-12-inch tablets mounted to the back of a car, displaying the license plate number and registration expiration date.Owners can also customize the plates in light and dark mode, and set personalized messages at the bottom of the plate. By the numbers: The battery-powered plates cost $19.95 per month, or $215.40 for a four-year agreement.The hard-wired plates, only available to commercial businesses, cost $24.95 a month.You can install the plate yourself or pay $99 for installation. What they're saying: "AB 984 strikes a necessary balance between innovation and privacy while digitizing the only thing on our cars today that remain antiquated, license plates," Assembly Member Lori Wilson (D-Fairfield), the bill's author, said in a press release.The DMV's office of public affairs said in a statement to Axios the digital plates are "just one way" it's "modernizing and digitizing its services." The other side: Critics have raised concerns about privacy and the company's access to personal data, . The bill, however, prohibits the digital plates from having tracking systems, unless they are fleet or commercial vehicles. Zoom out: These plates are also approved for passenger vehicles in Arizona and Michigan. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

More San Francisco stories

No stories could be found Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios San Francisco.Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.