Smart License Plates

Drivers and transit authorities around the world are already realizing the benefits of systems that enable commuters to drive freeway tollbooths and be billed automatically. One major US toll estimates that electronic passes process 250 to 300 percent more vehicles per lane, thereby reducing toll plaza delays and traffic congestion.

Now, Accenture Technology Labs, the technology research and development organization within Accenture, is raising the bar on automated payment systems by extending their use beyond highways into wider and more intelligent business applications.

The Labs have developed the Accenture Smart License Plates prototype which uses active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags embedded in license plates to track vehicles in real time, control access into and out of specified traffic zones, and provide electronic payment capabilities. The key difference is that the power behind these features is in the license plates.

Ramping Up the Concept
Accenture Technology Labs is test-driving the concept for Smart License Plates in its own employee parking lot. The Labs built the prototype on their Silent Commerce Infrastructure, which uses tagging and tracking technologies that make it possible for objects to be information-rich, aware, and active in responding to their environment.

Employees were issued “smart” license plates encrypted with each motorist’s license plate number and relevant parking authorization details including disability or VIP access. Tag readers were placed on entry/exit barriers and at various points on the property. When employees approach the gates, the “smart” plates emit radio signals to the tag readers, which transmit information to lot managers and automatically allow vehicles to enter or exit.

The tags have a detection rate of 100 percent at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour (50km per hour); can be read within a range of 3 feet to over 20 yards (1–20 meters); and are impossible to tamper with or clone. For added security against fraud, the plates shatter automatically if they are removed by anyone.

A Web-based portal hosts Accenture Smart License Plates applications such as billing. The portal allows parking lot managers to track the location and movement of each car in real time, and monitor the lot’s overall traffic patterns. Employees benefit from improved traffic flow because the technology eliminates the need for each person to stop and badge themselves in and out.

Technology with Unlimited Mileage
The Accenture Smart License Plates prototype addresses a range of scenarios including:

Garages and Parking Lots
Smart License Plates could be offered as a value-added service for visitors who park frequently since its portal tracks arrival and departure time as well as location details automatically and calculates parking fees. The amount owed by a driver would be transmitted via the portal to his bank for automatic debit or for consolidated monthly billing. Motorists could go online to see itemized lists of charges and a detailed account of their movements. Parking garage owners could monitor traffic patterns and space utilization, and use the data to enhance customer services and to generate additional services such as assigning desirable slots to loyal customers.

Fleet Yards
The prototype could be used to help tighten security and localize assets to ensure maximum utilization. License plates could also send alerts when the vehicle is being moved, and enable managers to spot the presence of stolen vehicles. If the system recognizes a stolen vehicle in the yard, it would automatically escalate the information to the appropriate authorities and broadcast commands to readers located on exit barriers to prevent the vehicle from departing.

Tollbooths
A common lament of drivers and fleet owners is the time spent idling in tollbooth lines. Nonstop payment saves time and reduces fuel consumption, pollution, and stress. It increases fleet efficiency by keeping rolling stock moving.

Smart License Plate technology could help pave the way for many industries to conduct more transparent, efficient, and secure payment and tracking activities for vehicles.

Companies such as car rental agencies could use Smart License Plates to automate car payments of rental cars, locate vehicles, and decrease insurance premiums by reducing thefts.

Governments could use Smart License Plates to simplify vehicle registration renewal payments and annual car inspections. Furthermore, the prototype could assist in congestion control in major cities and as a comprehensive payment system for all vehicle expenses incurred during a motorist’s stay.

Police could track static or moving vehicles throughout cities or in targeted locations. Stolen cars could be identified more easily, which would help save police time. The prototype could also be used to localize emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks in real time for deployment. On highways, Accenture Smart License Plates could be used to verify that authorized motorists are using commuter lanes. The prototype could also be utilized to calculate the speed that vehicles move between specific points, which could contribute to improved road safety.

Accenture Smart License Plates is part of Accenture's Reality Online vision where people are able to access and manage the physical world as never before in real time, through the use of pervasive technologies.