Is ETC Mandatory to Install?
1 Answers
ETC is not mandatory to install. According to Article 19 of the "Notice on Vigorously Promoting the Development and Application of ETC on Highways" issued by the State Council, vehicles without ETC installed by 2020 will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, and vehicles without ETC will have to pay tolls through the manual lane. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they need to be activated first. During free holiday periods, vehicles with ETC can still use highways, and ETC users passing through ETC lanes will not be charged. ETC Billing Principle: Highways will have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with banks, vehicles can pay tolls without stopping at toll stations. This is based on the principle of "pass first, deduct later." Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: Reduces noise and exhaust emissions by allowing vehicles to pass through toll stations without stopping; Reduces wear and tear: Saves costs by minimizing frequent starts and brakes, thereby reducing vehicle wear and fuel consumption; Improves efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase traffic 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 has clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Integrated Transportation System" that "by 2020, intercity transportation cards should be interoperable in key city clusters, and the proportion of vehicles using ETC should 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 rates for passenger vehicles, future efforts will focus on promoting ETC for trucks and exploring deeper integration of ETC systems with smart transportation developments such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination. This will provide comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC usage.