Sacramento Adopting Electronic License Plate Technology For City Vehicles

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - We'll be seeing a lot more of the newly released electronic license plates on the streets of Sacramento after the city announced it'll be installing them on city vehicles.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg formally announced the development on Monday at a press conference along H Street in front of City Hall. Twenty-four electronic plates are being used on city vehicles and 11 more will soon be installed, the mayor said. He also touted convenience of the plates, which eliminate the need to attach registration stickers.

Rplate Pro plates retail for $700 each and require an $8 monthly service fee but officials say the city will pay less than half -- $300 per plate, which will also allow them to better track vehicles, they say.

Steinberg downplayed the cost of the plates, which he says is modest, saying the bigger goal is to position Sacramento as a tech hub.  It will become the first city in the country to adopt the new devices, according to the statement.

"I want to send the signal that Sacramento should be center of all these technologies," said Steinberg.

The devices, called , can be used as a legal license plate display other messages like DMV-approved messages like "Don't Drink and Drive" or "My Child is an Honor Student," maker Reviver Auto says.

Reviver also believes the plates could be used to broadcast emergency alerts.

However, critics worry about driver safety, specifically whether the plates will be able to track speed, location, and personal information. The company claims the plates have "the same level of security as online banking, with three-key encryption protocols."

Fifteen thousand plates have been pre-sold and the company expects 1,500 of them to be on the road by the end of June.