Can ETC be installed but not used?

[TaylorLynn]

It is possible to install ETC without using it. According to the "Notice on Vigorously Promoting the Development and Application of ETC on Expressways" issued by the State Council, vehicles that have not applied for or do not use ETC by 2020 will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at expressway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual channels. ETC Working Principle: Through the on-board electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield, dedicated short-range communication is established with the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station. Computer networking technology is used to perform backend settlement processing with banks, allowing vehicles to pass through expressway or bridge toll stations without stopping while paying the tolls. ETC Deduction Principle: The toll amount for ETC vehicles is rounded according to the "round down if less than 0.5, no change if equal to or greater than 0.5" rule (i.e., amounts with a decimal less than 0.5 are rounded down, while those equal to or greater than 0.5 remain unchanged). After applying a 5% discount, the amount is then rounded to the nearest cent. MTC vehicles still follow the "round to the nearest yuan" rule. All this is based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees later. Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in queues; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, as vehicles pass toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs by decreasing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: The efficiency of ETC lanes can theoretically increase by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC faster, more advanced, and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council explicitly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, intercity transportation cards will be widely interoperable in key urban clusters, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." It also set a target in the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development indicators: "By 2020, the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles on roads should reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and increasing the adoption rate among passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC usage for trucks. There will also be exploration into deeper integration of ETC systems with vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, and other smart transportation developments, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC usage.