2020 Porsche 911Derek McNaughton / Driving Its a constant debate when taking car photos: to cover the licence plate, or not to cover? Well, today will be the day we all start covering up our licence plate in pictures; its the day we found out Google and Facebook can read them.Google and Facebook can actually scan a photograph and recognize the letters, turning the plate in the frame into a searchable alphanumeric sequence, something pointed out by, among others, Twitter user Jim Magill.This is likely a product of the image-searchable function, which can recognize similar images and patterns to help you find what youre looking for.If you want to try it for yourself, type CJJR 265 into Google images, and youll get an image of the Volkswagen Golf R we reviewed earlier this year, with that plate number on it. Youll even get similar plate numbers from other Volkswagens in VW Canadas press fleet.All around the office, weve tried it with a few of our cars, and it seems to work with Google, as well as on Facebook, and possibly other social media sites.Maybe some good could come from this tech; like if you see a car you think might be for sale by the side of the road and want to know the price, you could just Google it and see if theres a listing online somewhere. You could also run the plate of somebody who dinged your car door, or perhaps find the phone number of somebody who left their dog in a hot car. Of course, all of this stuff sounds a little creepy, too, and much more nefarious motives are not hard to imagine.At any rate, this is some Stephen-King-level eerie stuff, and wed rather not be a part of
Origin: You can now search people’s licence plates on Google, Facebook
plates
UK government plans green number plates for EVs
The UK government has begun an official consultation on introducing green numbers plates to electric and zero emissions cars. The scheme, which was originally proposed last year, aims to raise awareness of electric and hydrogen vehicles, as well as ease the introduction and policing of low emission zones, vehicle lanes and parking spaces. It would see the UK join a growing number of countries that identify zero emissions cars separately from combustion-powered ones, including Norway, Canada and China. The consultation will be used to determine which vehicles would be eligible for the number plate, its design, and how such a scheme would be rolled out to existing EV and hydrogen car owners. Early design proposals include a fully green number plate with black lettering, the addition of a green flash on the plate, or the addition of a green dot or symbol. “The UK is in the driving seat of global efforts to tackle vehicle emissions and climate change and improve air quality, but we want to accelerate our progress,” Transport secretary Grant Shapps said of the announcement. “Green number plates are a really positive and exciting way to help everyone recognise the increasing number of electric vehicles on our roads.” It is the latest stage in the government’s Road to Zero strategy, a £1.5bn investment aimed at helping the UK reach net zero emissions by 2050. According to the department of transport, the UK has seen record numbers of zero emissions vehicles registered since its introduction last
Origin: UK government plans green number plates for EVs
These are the best vanity plates we’ve seen in Quebec
Meanwhile, others prefer heavier stuff, in a nice way to bypass the seven-caracter rule.Montreal Vanity Plate Spotting / Facebook Let’s remind ourselves of what happened Friday, June 27, 2018 — the day SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec) launched its new vanity plates and online ordering service: In less time you needed to shout Finally!, the website crashed. That’s how eagerly Quebec drivers were waiting for personalized plates. Once the website was back online the following Monday, no less than 12,000 vanity plates were ordered in just 48 hours for $250 each, plus an annual renewal fee of $35. You think that’s cheap, versus the $310 personalized plates cost in Ontario? Remember that in Quebec, there’s only one plate showing off on our vehicles. After nine months, the rhythm is a lot slower. From August 2018 to this past April, a total of 26,661 personalized plates have been granted by the SAAQ. Our arithmetic shows after the initial boom, more or less 1,500 vanity plates are ordered every monthin Quebec — 82 per cent by men, confirms the SAAQ. Still, since the beginning, it means $7.5 million of revenue for Quebec. And this income would have hit $8 million, if five per ceont of the requests haven’t been refused. Indeed, some 1,381 demands were rejected since the seven characters allowed on Quebec’s plates: Can’t be obscene, scandalous, abusive or offensive, so you won’t see any variant of the F-word, or in French, SALAUD Can’t express sexual ideas, disregards for road safety, or promoting a criminal offence. Forget about ISPEED, 2FAST, FASTER and SNIPER Nor they can’t be a trademark or a “distinctive” name Or can they? Let’s see what we found on the Montreal Vanity Plates Spotting group on Facebook.
Origin: These are the best vanity plates we’ve seen in Quebec
New Brunswick scrapping front license plates
New Brunswick front license plateSupplied / Wikimedia The legal requirement of sticking a license plate on the front of one’s car is a hot topic in some circles, with some gearheads loathing the unsightly pieces of metal while others believe the plates to be a valuable safety and identification tool. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, front plates are required only in a minority of Canadian provinces. If plans laid out in the last New Brunswick budget are approved, that number will shrink even further. The government calls it a cost-saving measure, though there are no plans to reduce the, y’know, actual cost of licensing one’s vehicle in New Brunswick once the change is put into place, at least not for drivers. Government will see a savings since they will effectively halve the number of plates they need to purchase from suppliers. Gearheads often decry the need for front plates, alleging they ruin the look of their cars and spoil the aesthetic. They have a point, of course, and your author definitely falls into this group. Not everyone is happy with the proposed change, however. Law enforcement officers in the province are crying foul, saying the removal of front plates will scupper their efforts to identify those who break the law. Bus drivers are voicing their disapproval as well, stating that front-facing license plates are a critical tool which helps them report drivers who fail to stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing. In some provinces where front plates are not required, very strict penalties are in place for passing a stopped school bus. PEI, for example, can slap offending drivers with a $5,000 fine and three-month license suspension. In a timely bit of small-town carping, a man in neighbouring Nova Scotia took to the local newspaper to complain about the types of novelty plates displayed on the front of vehicles in his area. The re-introduction of front plates, he said, would curb the issue. Okay, then. Once the New Brunswick government approves the change, the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba will be the only remaining provinces still requiring a front plate, though Ontario is also nixing the front plate in the near future. The government says they will soon announce a date when these amendments will come into effect and motorists are reminded to continue to display two plates until the legislation is
Origin: New Brunswick scrapping front license plates
GR8 PL8S: Nova Scotia introduces new specialized license plates
Alert drivers in the Bluenose province will notice a raft of new specialized license plates on the back bumpers of some vehicles in Nova Scotia. In addition to personalized vanity tags and plates which show support for protecting animal species at risk, plates honouring Gaelic and Mi’kmaq cultures are now available as well. In partnership with Gaelic Affairs, the Registry of Motor Vehicles has developed a new Gaelic licence plate celebrating the Gaelic language, culture, and identity of Nova Scotia. The plate features the symbol of the Gaels in the province with the words ALBA NUADH at the bottom. That phrase means ‘Nova Scotia’, by the way. The registration fee for a Gaelic plate will be the standard vehicle registration fee associated with the class and weight of the vehicle plus a $50 donation directed to the Gàidheil Air Adhart (Gaels Forward) Special Purpose Fund. The RMV in Nova Scotia has also partnered with the Nova Scotia Office of Aboriginal Affairs to develop a new licence plate celebrating the Mi’kmaq language, identity, and culture in Nova Scotia. The plate features the image of a Mi’kmaq petroglyph and the words “MI’KMA’KI Land of the Mi’kmaq” at the bottom. A $24 donation will be collected at the time of issuance of the plate and upon renewals which will be directed to the Mi’kmaq Youth Special Purpose Fund. The funds will be used to support youth sport and recreation projects. Applicants can replace their current passenger licence plate with a Gaelic or Mi’kmaq plate by paying the donation and giving up their present tag. This way, applicants do not have to wait for their normal biennial renewal. Both plates can be issued to passenger and light commercial vehicles up to 5,000
Origin: GR8 PL8S: Nova Scotia introduces new specialized license plates
Here’s what Ontario’s new license plates will look like
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government released its designs for Ontario’s new license plates April 11, including a slogan that will replace the former “Yours to Discover” motto, which has graced plates in the province for 37 years. The new plates feature white lettering on a blue background (as opposed to the blue lettering on the white background of the outgoing plates), the tri-petal Ontario Trillium logo in the center, and of course the new slogan, “A Place to Grow.” The new plate will no longer have stamped, raised lettering, instead going for a flat sticker-type surface. Though it kind of sounds like something meant to encourage the blossoming of legal cannabis business in the province, the line “A Place to Grow” is actually borrowed from the song A Place to Stand, A Place to Grow, which was written to celebrate Ontario during the nation’s centennial festivities at Expo 67 in Montreal. Still, we won’t be surprised to see people slapping pot-leaf stickers over that trillium. This is the new Ontario license plate our question is is there still a green plate? @ONtransport pic.twitter.com/usDOqWXyXf Sudbury EV Assoc. (@GSEVAssociation) April 11, 2019 Commercial vehicles will also be getting a redesigned plate with the slogan “Open for Business,” one of the Ford government’s favourite catchphrases. The updates were officially revealed during the provincial budget announcement on Thursday, which included a broader plan to update the province’s branding to the tune of $600,000. The new plates will begin to be screwed onto cars once the current inventory has been depleted.
Origin: Here’s what Ontario’s new license plates will look like
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