California cars will soon be spotted with digital license plates as part of a pilot project.

The Sacramento Bee reports that the state Department of Motor Vehicles is teaming up with the digital plates' maker, Reviver Auto, to begin marketing them for sale at auto dealerships. Sacramento last week became the first city to agree to test the plates, taking a shipment of 24 plates for its in-house vehicle fleet.

Dealerships are expected to sell the plates for $699, not including installation costs. Users also must pay a monthly fee of about $7. The plates are not available through the Department of Motor Vehicles.

California, which has been quietly prepping its roll-out this year, is the first state to try out the new plates.

We reached out to the California Department of Motor Vehicles and they declined to join us.

With files from the Associated Press.

Guests:

Mark Stevens, fleet manager for the city of Sacramento, which is conducting the pilot program

Alex Roy, editor-at-large of The Drive, an automotive publication; he’s the founder of the Human Driving Association, a safety lobby organization  

Neville Boston, CEO of Reviver Auto, which is providing the license plates used in the city of Sacramento’s pilot program