This week, the government introduced special plates for electric vehicles – distinctive white background plates with Euro-style fonts and an identifier strip on the left side. Colour and font aside, another big departure from the regular white-on-black plates is that JPJePlate is made of aluminium, and the numbers are embossed on the plate. It’s tamper-proof and RFID-equipped, too.
Currently, JPJePlate is a pilot project to make it easy to differentiate EVs from ICE-powered cars. It will be the primary identification for enforcement action (EV-only parking, for example) as well in accidents, ensuring an appropriate response during emergencies – EVs fires need to be countered differently, for instance.
JPJePlate is for now mandatory only for new EVs, and the rest of us (including EVs that are already on the road) can continue to use our plastic black plates. But be in no doubt that this is the first step towards standardised plates for all new vehicles excluding motorcycles in the future.
Malaysia is outdated, an outlier
Travellers, have you ever wondered why Malaysia is seemingly ‘lawless’ and free-for-all when it comes to number plates, when all of our neighbours – never mind the rest of the world – use standardised number plates? By all accounts, we’re pretty advanced – did you know that Malaysia ranks fourth in the list of countries with the most skyscrapers behind China, USA and the UAE? We also have a high population of nice cars here.
It’s a rare situation that’s more than a bit strange. At a pre-launch briefing, the transport ministry said that Malaysia is among 5% of the countries still using traditional acrylic plates globally, and it is looking to gradually move away from that.
The initiative to introduce JPJePlate is aimed at exploring the eventual standardisation of the licence plate for all new vehicles registered in Malaysia, effectively eliminating fancy fonts/non-regulation plates and reducing the likelihood of vehicle cloning, among other things related to falsification of number plates, MoT added.
At the JPJePlate launch event, transport minister Anthony Loke said that the plate’s reflective white background and high legibility will also improve visibility aspects of a vehicle during the night, ensuring better road safety. This reminds me of the many cases where vehicles (usually motorcycles) ram into a stationary vehicle in the dark, adding to our grim road accident fatality rate.
The future, without a doubt
The FAQ page of JPJePlate also points to the ‘white Euro plates’ being the future for all vehicles in Malaysia, excluding motorcycles. The official description of JPJePlate is “an initiative.. to revolutionise the transport industry. Its primary goal is to increase road safety and standardise all number plate design on the road.” That’s very clear from the authorities, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
“The first phase of implementing the JPJePlate number plates will begin with Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), which include electric motor vehicles (EVs) other than motorcycles that are fully powered by electric batteries (Plug-in EV/Battery Cell) or by hydrogen fuel cells (Hydrogen Fuel-Cell EV), through a National Roll Out (NRO). Further expansions to include other types of vehicles will be announced in due course,” JPJ adds.
SOPs to get used to
There’s a lot more to the JPJePlate than its white background and Euro-look. Sourced from Tonnjes, a German specialist company, the plate features holographic stripes, an anti-counterfeiting foil, a digital signature in the form of a QR code, laser-engraved serial number, embedded RFID and security screws for installation.
Speaking of installation, it’s a big departure from the current free-for-all style, where anyone can stick white letters on a gloss black plate. The job of affixing the JPJePlate, including the windshield sticker, is carried out by the vehicle retailer or authorised centres – accessory shops can now apply to be an authorised installer, but must first go through registration and training before they are allowed to access the system.
The JPJePlate is affixed to the car with provided security screws, which are one-way screws that require a special screwdriver. JPJ says that these screws cannot be removed easily without breaking both the screws and their covers, and forcibly removing the screws might damage the plate. This is an anti-theft feature, but JPJ is also allowing the 52 x 11 cm metal plates to be held by a conventional plastic frame, as some vehicle owners fear damage from the screws.
Currently, Handal Ceria is the sole company appointed through an open tender process to handle the supply and ordering of JPJePlate. It’s a low volume pilot project for now, and there’s a need to streamline and check for issues, hence the lone player.
“The selection of a single company for this phase is intended to ensure a more organised and controlled implementation. This approach is a practical step by the transport ministry and JPJ to collaborate, streamline the process, and address any issues that may arise. The implementation will be expanded to include all types of vehicles in the subsequent phases, and the addition of more suppliers will be considered,” JPJ said.
Note the ‘expanded to include all types of vehicles’ line as yet another explicit mention of the NRO.
RFID and ANPR for Multi-lane free flow
Aside from the above-mentioned safety, security and identification (when the white plates are used by all in the future, the colour of the left strip will be the differentiator, eg: green for EVs) reasons, JPJePlate will “act as a variable for the integrated Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) ecosystem with RFID,” JPJ says.
In other words, a standardised number plate system with no variation of fonts/spacing/sizing will assist in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), which together with RFID are core components of Multi-lane free flow (MLFF). It will rid our highways of toll plazas, which are often bottlenecks.
Speaking of RFID, the JPJePlate has RFID embedded into the metal plate itself (as opposed to stuck on), which will then act as an antenna; this is still classified as passive RFID (active would require a power source), but the signal would be much stronger than the current stickers employed by Touch n Go. Each JPJePlate comes with a windshield sticker too; this has the same functionality as the metal plate and the RFID chip on the sticker acts as a backup.
We were informed by Tonnjes that the RFID and holograms are made to the same security standards as what’s used in international passports, and the RFID element in the plate can be used as an identifier at speeds of up to 230 km/h – here’s a deep dive into how RFID works in the JPJePlate context.
Not many realise this, but ANPR and RFID are already working together at our toll plazas – full story here. Additionally, there are plans to enable payment for toll (pending agreements with toll concessionaires and TnG), parking (together with ANPR, which is already being used in some malls) and even F&B drive-throughs by the number plate RFID.
Issues and timeline
It all sounds good, but we do have a few questions. In its present form, the JPJePlate comes in a single 52 x 11 cm size, which fits most cars and numbers.
Most, because special plates like the MALAYSIA, PATRIOT, PERFECT and PUTRAJAYA series definitely won’t fit; it looks like four alphabets and four letters are the maximum that the plate can take, based on the standard font size, as demonstrated by IIUM 6763 at the launch. There was also a RIMAU car, but it had just two digits. The JPJePlate website has a preview tool for your number, and keying in MALAYSIA generates a hilariously long plate.
Also, cars with square number plate slots like those from the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) will have an issue – currently, one can just stack the ABCs and 123s in two levels, as seen on the Toyota MR2 below.
While the government has made it very clear that JPJePlate is the future, implementation for EVs is just the first step and no timeline was shared. JPJePlate is compulsory for all new EVs registered from now, and is optional for existing EV owners. However, the option to maintain your old plate will not be forever.
Buried deep in the FAQ section for business partners, JPJ says that there will be a day when all EV owners will have to make the switch to JPJePlate. “Existing ZEV owners are not required to switch immediately, but they will have a transition period to convert to the new ZEV number plate. Keep an eye out for announcements from MOT and JPJ regarding the timeline,” it said.
Such a model might be employed when JPJePlate reaches the mainstream – mandatory for ICE cars registered after the announced date, with a ‘transition period’ for all other cars on the road to switch. The roads would look funny though, with a mix of black and white plates. However, at some point JPJePlate will have to be made mandatory for all, especially if ANPR and MLFF are to be implemented nationwide.
We reckon that this would be a concern for the transport ministry (or at the very least, it will be on their minds), as it involves extra cost for the rakyat, who might then react with anger and complaints. It won’t be a good move from a political perspective – much like removing blanket fuel subsidy – but for progress to be made, the government of the day will have to take a hit. At least there are no plans to introduce JPJePlate for motorcycles.
By the way, the current JPJePlate price of RM98 per set of front/rear plates and the windshield sticker, is very reasonable considering the tech and embossing. A set of basic plastic plates already cost around RM60 in the Klang Valley and we’ve seen accessory shops charge up to RM300 for custom (read fancy and illegal) plates.
What do you think of this generational move from black to standardised white plates with tech?
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