Timeline - The Car: the Key and the License Plate
In 120 years there has been a tremendous evolution of what is arguably two of the three most important elements of the automobile, the car itself and the key – but what happened to the license plate? Why are we still seeing a 12” by 6” piece of metal or plastic fastened to the front and/or back of such high-tech vehicles.
With over 270 million vehicles registered in the U.S., each one is adorned with an alphanumeric metal or plastic panel, and the manner that they are obtained still raises issues of long lines and crowded DMV offices. But like other parts of the automobile’s past, there is more to the history of license plates than what meets the eye. As unlikely as it may seem, these vehicle identifiers have actually been influenced by technology, culture and current events.
The Key
Car key history can be traced back to as early as 1910.
The Beginning
Car key history can be traced back to 1910, but these early versions didn’t start the engine or ignition. Instead, the first car keys controlled the ignition’s electrical circuit. Using the key, car owners could switch off the flow of electrical current, making it impossible to start the vehicle. Once the switch was on, the ignition could be activated, although drivers still had to then crank up the engine.
Soon after, keys that could lock and unlock both the electrical circuit and the ignition became more common.
Because it was still impossible to start the engine without a key, car theft was not a concern, and “locking” a car wasn’t a practice. In fact, most early automobiles were roofless and some were even door-less.
The Middle
A major milestone in car key history occurred in 1949 when Chrysler unveiled the first car key that could start a vehicle’s engine all on its own. It was able to do so through the use of an ignition tumbler, or ignition lock cylinder.
In 1965, Ford became the first manufacturer to introduce double-sided keys that could be inserted into the tumbler either way. While seemingly elementary by today’s standards, these types of car keys remained the norm for decades.
This was also around the same the time the dual key, which could both start the car and unlock the doors, took hold. Prior to the 1960s, some vehicles still required two separate car keys.
The End?
Car key evolution was mostly dormant for the next quarter century but took some momentous leaps in the 1990s. It was this decade that saw the rise of the now ubiquitous key fob.
Remote keyless entry fobs allowed car owners to lock and unlock vehicle doors from afar by emitting a coded signal through radio waves to a receiver in the car. As technology developed, key fobs gained more functions, such as opening the trunk or sliding doors and starting the engine remotely.
(If you’re curious about the strange name, according to The Atlantic, “fob” may come from the word “fuppe,” which means “pocket” in the low German dialect.)
Going Keyless
The traditional, mechanical car key is quickly becoming a thing of the past – if it’s not already a relic of automotive history. Almost all of today’s new vehicles have some version of a keyless entry and push-button start system.
In fact, according to consumer auto research firm Edmunds, 91% of 2019 model-year vehicles had keyless ignitions. That’s up from 72% in 2014.
Lost Keys
Digital keys the shape of a credit card, keyless start pods, keyless push-button start devices, intelligent keys or smart or “smartphone” keys are the way we open and start cars now — and more — and it’s unlikely the primitive keys of the past are coming back.
Leaving your keys in the car is a thing of the past and voice recognition technology is already here - and you can turn your engine on and cool/heat the interior simply by connecting with your smart home devices.
Wearable Keys
Using a wristband, or a watch, to operate your vehicle is not that far-fetched. Actually, Jaguar has already produced one called “The Activity Key” for its F-pace SUV. Similarly, Apple made a watch app that controls almost every function of the Tesla Model S.
Wristbands and watches feature a screen that displays information about the vehicle, such as door status, fuel range, and location.
Compared to conventional keys, losing the bracelet-like gadget would be significantly harder for two reasons. First, it is in sight almost all of the time around your wrist. Second, it incorporates some type of location tracker, making it easy to find almost anywhere.
The License Plate
The Beginning
1893 - It is thought that France became the first country to issue “number plates” to vehicles.
1898 - Heroin was first introduced, and was included in many cold remedies as well as cough syrup. Morphine, opium, and cocaine too were being sold at pharmacies across the country. Now, heroin is known as a highly addictive and dangerous drug, and the opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2017.
1901 - New York became the first U.S. state to require license plates, On Apr. 25, 1901, New York Governor Benjamin Odell Jr. signed into law a bill requiring owners of motor vehicles to register with the state. It also mandated that every automobile or motor cycle bear “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place, the letters forming such initials to be at least three inches in height.” Owners were expected to provide their own identifying letters, and in those early days there were no restrictions on materials, style or color. Some used metal house letters on leather or wood, others painted the letters directly on their vehicles.
1903 - On May 15, 1903, the state legislature passed a new law requiring the New York Secretary of State to assign each registered owner a number that would be displayed on the back of the vehicle. And that same year—though New York drivers would have to provide their own plates until 1910—Massachusetts became the first to distribute state-issued plates. So, the first license plates ever issued by the states were released by Massachusetts in 1903. They gave drivers porcelain plates, as this was before the invention of metal stamped plates
Modernization?
1906 — West Virginia produced the first stamped metal license plate.
1908 - Before the invention of the Model T (also known as a Tin Lizzie) in 1908, car ownership wasn't feasible for the everyday American. But, once the somewhat affordable, $850 car hit the streets, people all over the country began learning how to drive.
1910 - Scottish inventor Alexander Cumm patented a flushing toilet in 1775, but toilets as we know them today were really only introduced in 1910 — but they were for the very wealthy only. And before that, even in huge metropolises like New York City, people used communal outhouses and chamber pots. It would take decades before indoor plumbing became the norm in rural areas.
1916, Stanford Mail Order Company, New York, marketed girdles to 'Misses and Small Women.'" They replaced corsets as the favorite undergarment of women in the 1910s, but they've since been replaced by Spanx. The first federal child labor laws were also passed in 1916, but it was only ruled to be unconstitutional two years later — and there would be no real regulation until the 1938's Fair Labor Standards Act. The 1900 Census suggests that almost two million kids aged 10 to 15 were working full-time jobs.
1918, women were two years away from winning their battle for voting equality and the passage of the 19th Amendment.
1920 - the 18th Amendment was passed, which officially amended the Constitution to include a federal ban on alcohol.
Before gas stations became permanent fixtures, people used to have to buy gas in cans at their local blacksmith shop or pharmacy and pour it into the tanks themselves.
Progress?
1921 — Although Alaska was not yet a state and had very few roads, its territorial government produced a license plate now considered the Holy Grail of historic plates by hobbyists and collectors. In 2000, a reported $60,000 was paid for one of the few surviving examples of a genuine 1921 Alaska license plate.
1928 — Idaho license plates appeared with the words “Idaho Potatoes,” now regarded as the first license plate slogan in America.
Penicillin would be discovered in 1928 by Dr. Alexander Fleming. It would take two more decades for a patient to be successfully treated by it.
1931 — Pennsylvania became the first state to issue customized license plates, which were limited to a driver’s initials.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" didn't become the official national anthem until 1931
1936 — The iconic “bucking bronco”, still in use today, first appeared on a Wyoming license plate.
Bloodletting was actually recommended as a treatment for infections and other ailments all the way through the 1940s.
1944 — The metal shortage caused by World War II forced states to use alternative materials for plates, namely embossed fiberboard, cardboard and soybean-based plastic.
1957 —After meeting with world governments and international standards organizations, automobile manufacturers imposed uniform dimensions on license plates. The standard size for license plates in all American states was set at 6” x 12”.
1965 — The “vanity plate” was born when states began allowing drivers to customize their plates with letters and numbers.
1971 — After 3M introduced “High Intensity Grade Reflective Sheeting,” states made the product mandatory on license plates to improve the visibility of moving and stationary vehicles.
1990 — Most state plates stopped displaying congressional districts, county designations and police codes. States began relying on computers to contain this information.
2000 – America’s most expensive license plate:, a 1921 Alaska license plate is sold for $60,000. To date, it is the country’s most expensive license plate. Its high value is a product of its rarity as the plate is one of only four known to exist. Why so few? Alaska in the 1920s was not even a U.S. state at the time. It remained mostly undeveloped, with little infrastructure, including roads. Navigating its terrain in an automobile was nearly impossible, so very few people owned one. Fewer cars meant fewer license plates.
1977 – License Plates Reach the Supreme Court
The land’s highest court gives their decision on the case of Wooley v. Maynard. Up until that point, the state of New Hampshire required all noncommercial vehicles to have license plates containing the state motto “Live Free or Die.” Resident George Maynard cut off the words “or Die,” believing they went against his religious beliefs. He was cited for violating the state law, fined, and after refusing to pay, jailed for 15 days.
Maynard sued and the case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court. In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that New Hampshire could not require citizens to display the state motto, stating “New Hampshire’s statute in effect requires that appellees use their private property as a ‘mobile billboard’ for the State’s ideological message…The First Amendment protects the right of individuals to hold a point of view different from the majority, and to refuse to foster, in the way New Hampshire commands, an idea they find morally objectionable.”
2007 — The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administration conducted North America’s first state-by-state and province-by-province survey of vanity plates. The study found some 9.7 million vehicles with personalized vanity license plates in America and Canada.
2000-2010 goodbye ‘floppies." We are officially in the era of the "cloud," where we save all of our data to online storage services like Box, Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, Carbonite, and Microsoft's SkyDrive. Dial up internet. Calling 411 to find a local restaurant - Forget wasting time talking to an all-knowing automated voice, and thank your lucky stars for Google Maps, Bing, Foursquare, and Yelp.
The Future is Closer than you Think™....
Revolutionize Your Ride With the TekPlate™ Digital License Plate
DIGITALIZATION
In 1970, about 5% of a vehicles total car costs was attributed to electronics as a percentage of the total car cost worldwide. It is estimated by 2030 that this will increase to 50%. (Statista) Automobile technology has continuously advanced, with electronics and digitalization making the driving experience progressively easier and safer.
EXPANSION
October 1, 2022 Georgia becomes the fifth state to approve digital license plates, following Arizona, California, Colorado, and Michigan. Texas approved digital plates for commercial fleets of twenty-five or more vehicles, but it has not yet approved them in non-commercial applications. Maryland is currently running a pilot program.
It's time for license plates to catch up with the rest of the motor vehicle technology.
CLEARink CEO Gene Feng has commented “Digital license plate sounds like a really cool concept, and I can see it being phased in not only in US and UK, but also all other countries as well.”
REAR PLATES
In the United States and its territories, 19 states require only one license plate on the rear of a vehicle. 34 require 2 plates, front and back, although 15 of those only require one rear plate for truck tractors, trailers, motorcycles and special equipment.
ADOPTION
In 1970, about 5% of a vehicles total car costs was attributed to electronics as a percentage of the total car cost worldwide. It is estimated by 2030 that this will increase to 50% (Statista), Automobile technology has continuously advanced, with electronics and digitalization making the driving experience progressively easier and safer. According to the California DMV on May 6, 2023, there were 23,060 vehicles in the state equipped with Reviver's RPlate.
$235 BILLION
The global automotive electronics market is estimated at $235bn.
85 million
9%
About 85 million new motor vehicles are produced annually worldwide.
2021 saw a 9% sales growth in light vehicles globally.
$103 billion
$35 billion
At a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%, the market size for automotive front-end modules increased from $93.28 billion in 2020 to $103 billion in 2024.
In 2020, the total market for automotive semiconductors was around $35 billion.
EVERY VEHICLE HAS TO HAVE A LICENSE PLATE
1.5 billion
There are approximately 1.5 billion motor vehicles worldwide.
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