Is ETC Mandatory?

[VanMiles]

ETC is not mandatory. According to the State Council's regulations, starting from 2020, vehicles without ETC will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will remain at highway toll stations, and vehicles without ETC will have to pay tolls manually. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they must be activated first. During holiday free-toll periods, ETC users can still use highways, and passing through ETC lanes will not incur charges for those who have already installed ETC. ETC Billing Principle: Highways will have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's onboard electronic tag (installed on the windshield) and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, the system uses computer networking technology to settle payments with banks in the background. This allows vehicles to pass through toll stations without stopping, achieving the goal of seamless toll payment. All of this operates on the principle of "pass first, deduct later." Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in queues; Green and eco-friendly: Promotes low-carbon travel by reducing noise and exhaust emissions since vehicles don't need to stop at toll stations; Cost-saving: Reduces vehicle wear and fuel consumption by minimizing frequent starts and stops. Users also enjoy a 5% discount on toll fees; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase traffic flow efficiency 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, key city clusters should achieve interoperability of transportation smart cards, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC should significantly increase." It also set a target in the "13th Five-Year Plan" comprehensive transportation development indicators: "By 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles should reach 50%." Future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage rates for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC adoption for trucks. There will also be exploration into deeper integration between ETC systems and smart transportation directions like vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for car owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC in the future.