Yes, it needs to be installed. Having an ETC without installation is useless. According to the State Council's regulations, vehicles without ETC or not using ETC by 2020 cannot enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual lanes. How ETC Works: 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. Using computer networking technology, background settlement processing is conducted with the bank, enabling vehicles to pass through highway or bridge toll stations without stopping while paying the toll. ETC Deduction Principle: The toll amount for ETC vehicles is rounded according to the 'round down if less than 0.5, no change if 0.5 or more' rule (i.e., amounts with a decimal less than 0.5 are rounded down, and those with a decimal of 0.5 or more 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 line; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, as vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions, thus minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs by decreasing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: Theoretically, ETC lanes can increase vehicle passing efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC more updated, faster, 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 city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase.' It also set a target in the '13th Five-Year Plan' for comprehensive transportation development: 'By 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles should reach 50%.' More Future Possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and increasing the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC usage for trucks in the future. Exploration will also focus on the deep integration of the ETC system with smart transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications.
