number plates (uk only )

[Big G]

electroluminescent number plate

Not sure what that is, but i'll ask the question or read the books in the morning.

They are the same thing as the illuminated numbers on the cars @ Le Mans. Basically made from a material that when you put a voltage across it it emits light. Effectively it is a backlit number plate where the backlight is built into the plate itself.
It is this last point that makes them a grey area according to the regulations as the regs call for the mounting area to be illuminated, not the plate itself. Playing with words it might be, but the strict interpretation of the regs means that you still have to have standard license plate lamps. We were looking into using this technology when designing the Bentley Conti GT, but couldn't get the bean counters to accept it when we were already having to fit normal lamps. In fact the VW group has been looking to use these for sometime, but still no go with the regs...they do look good though  , and would be a definite improvement over normal lamps

[Robbo SPS]

Just come back to this. I can only pressume that it would be classed as a lamp. And therefore xould only display red light to the rear and would need to be a certain height from the ground.If it were the green light that GT cars run, thats a no as your not a doctor.....

If displayed to the front... i'd have to look at the heights and output to determine if a side light and how far in from the extreme's of the body..

Whilst you lot were in LM, i was learning all this stuff !!!

I hope that helps. Basically your asking for a pull and these defects if involved or contrubutory for a crash would see the insurance company worm out of a full settlement.

[powermite]

I was stopped on the weekend for slightly excessive speed(68 in a 40....towing a horsebox!!)
While the kind officer only bollocked me about the speeding he did notice that my first letter of my reg was spaced one gap away form the rest.He told me that VOSA were being more lenient of people doctoring their plates and that some things are now being let go.They told me to take my truck to an MOT station and if ,in their opinion,it was ok then the police would accept it as it is.They then told me to phototcopy and keep the slip they game me and keep it with me incase i got stopped again

PM

[Jack the Hat]

Sorry in the delay in getting back fellas. Big G all griffith number plates were backlit as standard from the factory and so were several other tvr models no external number plate lights. The number plate was is semi transparent with back lighting bulbs which makes the number plate appear yellow when lit this always leaves mot tester's who do not know the cars scratching heads. So going on the fact that they are backlit anyway i did not think an electroluminecne as long as it gave off the same colour would be too much of an issue. But i still want to stay legal   

[Robbo SPS]

Sorry in the delay in getting back fellas. Big G all griffith number plates were backlit as standard from the factory and so were several other tvr models no external number plate lights. The number plate was is semi transparent with back lighting bulbs which makes the number plate appear yellow when lit this always leaves mot tester's who do not know the cars scratching heads. So going on the fact that they are backlit anyway i did not think an electroluminecne as long as it gave off the same colour would be too much of an issue. But i still want to stay legal   

Jack, i'd suggest it a NO.
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/uksi_20010561_en.pdf

is the public link to the laws. Have a look at page 10 with reference to the plate being a material that meets a british specification.

Hope it helps.

[Perdu]

I wanted electroluminescents for my number plates but google wasnt my friend when I sought the people who supplied them

The law may (does?) say they cannot be backlit but we had several cars back in the forties and fifties with the lights backlit and shining through a semitransparent but blacked out where relevant number plate in a box on the back of the car*

I would have cited these if stopped

Wasn't one of those the Riley RM? I definitely saw them on many cars back then


*time for a Google search...

[Jack the Hat]

Hi Robbo thanks for the information. I dont think i will bother it seems more hassel than its worth. Shame would have looked cool. 

[Perdu]

I did do a Google but no certainty that the Riley had lights inside its box

another story makes its gentle way into mythology