MVA Launches Digital License Plate Pilot Program

The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration announced that it’s launching a two-year pilot program to test digital license plate technology.

Maryland is the first state on the East Coast to test digital plates. The plates will be tested on 20 MDOT MVA fleet vehicles, as well as two Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) vehicles.

Digital license plates COULD be coming to Maryland. Learn more about our two-year pilot program to test this new technology in our newsroom: https://t.co/wtqnl33wYf. #MDOTInnovates pic.twitter.com/AuFCi0kOdv

— MD_MVA (@MD_MVA) June 18, 2019

MDOT MVA will be the fourth state to work with Reviver, a digital license plate manufacturer, to test this type of pilot program.

Chrissy Nizer, the administrator for MDOT MVA, said this is a way for the department “to find innovative ideas that could benefit our customers.”

“We are excited about the digital plate pilot and the potential of this technology to pave the way for additional customer convenience,” said Nizer.

The department will be testing Reviver’s “Rplate” on its vehicles, which includes technology that updates the plates information electronically. For instance, rather than placing a sticker on a tag when renewing a vehicle’s registration, the Rplate would update new registration information automatically.

The digital plates have the potential to “display real-time information such as Amber Alerts and other safety information, and can display an alert if the vehicle is reported stolen.”

Neville Boston, co-founder and chief executive of Reviver, said the company is excited to partner with the State of Maryland.

“We are very pleased to work with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration to help make Maryland one of the first states in the Northeast to pilot digital license plates, highlighting Maryland’s progressive approach to simplifying the registration process,” said Boston.

MDOT MVA said that Reviver is providing the test plates at no cost to the State of Maryland. The Rplates are similar in size to a normal license plate but have a digital display.

Currently, digital license plates aren’t legal in Maryland, but motorists in California, Michigan, and Arizona can use them in place of traditional plates.

About Deirdre Byrne

Deirdre Byrne is a social media coordinator for Montgomery Community Media. She can be reached at dbyrne@mymcmedia.org or on twitter at @DeirdreByrneMCM.

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