Can Temporary License Plates Apply for ETC?
3 Answers
As long as ETC is applied for, you can use the ETC lane. Because ETC is an automatic charging device, the ETC equipment identifies the ETC electronic tag on the vehicle, and the fee is deducted from the balance of the ETC electronic tag, which has little to do with whether a temporary license plate is used. ETC charging principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on the highway. Through the dedicated short-range microwave communication between the on-board electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane of the toll station, and using computer networking technology to settle accounts with the bank in the background, the purpose of vehicles not needing to stop at road and bridge toll stations to pay road and bridge fees is achieved. All of this is based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees later. Benefits of installing ETC: Save time: eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and environmentally friendly: green and low-carbon, vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and decreasing pollution; Save wear and tear: reduces costs, decreases the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, and lowers wear and fuel consumption; Improve efficiency: the efficiency of passing through ETC lanes can theoretically be increased by 2-3 times or more, making traditional ETC updates faster, newer, and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key urban agglomerations will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will be significantly increased," and explicitly proposed in the main indicators of the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development that "by 2020, the ETC usage rate of road passenger vehicles will reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the ETC usage rate of passenger vehicles, the future will also promote the use of ETC for trucks, explore the deep integration of the ETC system with the development direction of smart transportation such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, and provide car owners with comprehensive travel services, which means more application scenarios will support ETC applications. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing area is 8 meters. When encountering a vehicle in front stopping, to prevent the ETC equipment failure of the vehicle in front or the absence of ETC equipment, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters from the vehicle in front to avoid automatic sensing and paying for the vehicle in front. The speed for ETC lane recognition is 20km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle equipment information cannot be read, which will also lead to charging failure. Unauthorized disassembly or movement of the OBU equipment, detachment or loosening of the ETC electronic tag, etc., will cause the electronic tag to fail. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was applied for or the highway service office for testing. Non-manual loosening or detachment only requires reactivation. When using a debit card to bind ETC, insufficient balance will also lead to charging failure. You can follow the guidance of on-site staff to the manual MTC lane and pass by using cash or card. Poor sensing due to overly thick car windshields. Especially for vehicles that have been repaired after accidents and had their windshields replaced, or friends who have modified their front windshields need to pay attention.
Oh, I have experience with this issue! Temporary license plates indeed cannot be used to apply for an ETC. Last time when I helped a friend with this, I learned that the ETC system requires the vehicle's official license plate number for registration. Temporary plates are just a piece of paper, lacking a fixed plate number and having a short validity period, so the system simply can't register them. I remember the bank staff saying they couldn't even attempt it—they strictly require waiting for the official metal plates to be issued. If you frequently use highways during the temporary plate period, it's safest to stick with cash and use the manual lanes. Once you get the metal plates, applying for ETC is quick—nowadays, you can even do it via mobile apps in just over ten minutes. Although the temporary plate period is a bit troublesome, it's a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the operations of different toll stations.
I recently experienced this situation. The day after getting temporary plates for my new car, I went to the bank to apply for an ETC device, but the counter directly refused to process it. They explained that the temporary license plate doesn't have complete information in the system, and ETC device binding requires clear formal license plate numbers and vehicle identification codes. The staff explained in detail that even if forcibly installed, it might lead to recognition errors or failure. Later, I had to take a card and pay at each toll station, which was quite troublesome. I recommend everyone patiently wait until the formal license plates are issued, then bring the vehicle registration certificate and ID card to apply. Fortunately, temporary plates don't last long, so consider it as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the driving route in advance.
