According to Boston, there are multiple reasons a dealer would be interested in selling the Rplate, including as an “on-ramp” to a larger sales discussion for a vehicle and as a “point of differentiation” during the buyer’s purchase process.

In addition, Boston says there are a few different ways dealers make money from the Rplate: “Dealers sell Rplates on their own terms and prices, keeping margins for themselves. They also receive a portion of the monthly connection fee in the form of recurring revenue.”

For some dealers, digital license plates make a lot of sense.

“Digital license plates come with a lot of potential in areas of convenience and simplicity, especially since everyone dreads renewing, registration is always a headache, and toll tags only complicate things further,” said Alex Killingsworth, a consultant for Superior Honda in New Orleans. “Digital plates present an opportunity to solve all of those problems with one product, and consumers are going to be willing to pay for that.”

To date, Reviver has shipped more than 13,000 Rplates. The plates aren’t cheap — with prices starting at $899 on the Reviver website. Boston says the typical customer “varies from a broad variety of custom-automobile enthusiasts to the full spectrum of new-car buyers purchasing virtually every make and model of car, truck and SUV.” He also noted that “emerging EV buyers are particularly attracted to the Rplate.”

Beyond the convenience of automatic registration, the Rplate allows car owners to add custom messages from a list approved by the motor vehicle department. The display, which uses “digital paper” technology from E-Ink, can be refreshed using an app. This can come in handy if the vehicle is stolen; owners can add the word “stolen” to the license plate to make it easier to identify.

As the auto world becomes progressively digital and buyers continue to seek out convenience, digital license plates may grow increasingly attractive to buyers and dealers alike.

Source: https://www.autonews.com/shift/digital-license-plates-aim-take-headache-out-vehicle-registration