A view of a digital display license plate from Reviver on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 in Foster City, Calif.

Drivers in California can now get digital license plates for their cars, after a new state law made a pilot program official.

Under the program created in 2018, digital license plates created by Foster City company Reviver Auto began appearing on vehicles throughout the state. The tablets are the same size as conventional license plates (6-by-12 inches) and have a sleek look, with a sequence of letters and numbers on the screen.

About 17,000 drivers purchased digital license plates under the pilot program, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. It was set to expire Jan. 1, 2023, but became permanent last month when Gov. Gavin Newson signed AB 984 into law - meaning the high-tech plates are now an option for all 36 million-plus registered vehicles in the state.

The bill’s author, Assembly member Lori Wilson, D-Fairfield, said in a news release that it “strikes a necessary balance between innovation and privacy while digitizing the only thing on our cars today that remain antiquated, license plates.”

When the devices were launched in 2018, some auto industry experts lauded the technology as long overdue while others raised concerns about privacy and the data collected by the company.

In response to privacy concerns, the bill prohibits devices from having GPS or other tracking systems, except in specific vehicles such as fleet and commercial vehicles. If an employer must use tracking technology to monitor workers’ performance, the employer must first notify the employee, the bill reads. The worker is also allowed to turn off the tracking system outside work hours.

Neville Boston, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Reviver, told The Chronicle in 2018 the company has a robust privacy policy that allows users to turn their location data on or off at any time. The company also never shares the data collected with the Department of Motor Vehicles, law enforcement or third parties, he said at the time.

Representatives from Reviver did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Here are the details about the plates for California drivers:

Hardware engineer Jacky Nguyen (right) works at Reviver who make digital display license plates on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 in Foster City, Calif.

The digital license plate is a 6-by-12 inch tablet mounted to the rear of a vehicle, similar to the conventional aluminum plates issued by the DMV.

The tablet displays the license plate number when the car is in operation and may become a customized billboard when it’s parked. Drivers can personalize their license plates through an app available on smartphones, by adding a message under the license plate number or choosing between a light or dark mode.

Users can also use the devices to automatically pay for parking and bridge tolls, renew their vehicle registration on the app, and report and track if the vehicle is stolen. According to Reviver, the plates can be immediately updated to display Amber alerts or an “I’m stolen” message.

Because California requires both front and rear plates, drivers must still use the regular metal version on the front of their cars, the DMV said.

The new registration year will show up automatically on digital plates when vehicle registration fees are paid and processed, according to the DMV.

Paper registration cards are still required. However, if a pilot digital e-registration process is approved under the permanent program, vehicle owners would have the option of registration in digital format, the DMV said.

The plates are approved for sale for passenger vehicles in two other states - Arizona and Michigan, according to Reviver. If purchased and registered in approved states, the plates are legal for driving anywhere across the U.S. and North American borders into Canada, the company says.

There are two options: a battery-powered version and a hard-wired option. The battery-powered version is available to all drivers and comes with a replaceable battery through a $19.95-per-month subscription, or $215.40 per year for a four-year agreement, according to Reviver. The battery has a five-year or 50,000-mile life, according to the company’s website.

The hard-wired version costs $24.95 a month and is currently available only to commercial businesses.

Car owners can install the plates themselves or pay $99 for installation through the Reviver website.

People can purchase an RPlate now, according to Taylor Woolfork, chief of staff for Assemblywoman Wilson. They are available on Reviver’s website.

As of Thursday, no other companies appeared to have proposed similar products, said Woolfork.

When the DMV opened the program to bids from digital plate manufacturers, Reviver Auto was the lone bidder, The Chronicle reported at the time.

“But should another company step into this space, they’d be required to undergo the same approval process that was used for the pilot,” said Woolfork. “It’s just now that process is permanent.”

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores

Jessica Flores is a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. Before joining The Chronicle in 2021, she worked for USA Today, NPR affiliate KPCC and Curbed LA. Originally from L.A., she received her master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree from Mount Saint Mary's University in Los Angeles.