E-ZPass Color Plate

I never really grew up around the E-ZPass system, so these big, white bricks always stand out to me. I wanted to try making something that would allow people to easily “change” the colors of the transponders, without having to resort to painting or taping them permanently.

This was also a bigger step towards modeling a design for print that had to not only fit exact, real-world dimensions, but also needed to fit an odd, curved shape. You’d never realize how rounded the E-ZPass is until you take a caliper to one…

The color plate is meant to work with the pre-installed Velcro straps and has gaps for them to fit. The backing is thin enough to allow the Velcro to adhere and stay securely on your windshield. The front lip lines up with the bottom of the printed label, so all information is still visible from the inside.

I’ve printed an unpolished white version as a prototype for myself (defeats the “color” purpose, but is also best for testing!) and was surprised with how well it fit together on the first go! I’ve since gone through a few toll booths with the color plate installed, and had no problems with the transponder being read. I’ve opened it up for sale as a beta product on Shapeways, and will mark it as final once a few colors have been made. I plan to get a black one for my Hyundai Veloster, intending to hide the transponder as much as possible, but I’ll also order another in orange since it will match my car’s paint job.

The E-ZPass Color Plate can be purchased from my Shapeways store in a slew of polished plastic colors, including blue, purple, red, pink, yellow, green, orange, black, metallic, and white. Shown below is unpolished white, which is a good option for custom painting if what you’d like isn’t available.

If you order one, please consider sharing a picture in the comments below or directly on Shapeways!