It is necessary to install ETC. According to the State Council's regulations, vehicles without ETC will not enjoy toll discounts starting from 2020, and in the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, requiring manual payment. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they need to be activated first. During free holiday periods, ETC users can still pass through highways without being charged when using ETC lanes. ETC Charging Principle: Highways have one or more ETC lanes. Through microwave short-range communication between the vehicle's electronic tag (installed on the windshield) and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, combined with computer networking technology for backend bank settlements, vehicles can pass through toll stations without stopping to pay road or bridge fees. This operates on a "pass first, deduct later" principle. 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 booths. Cost and wear reduction: Saves money by minimizing frequent starts and brakes, reducing vehicle wear and fuel consumption. 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 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, with a significant increase in ETC adoption rates." It also set a target of "50% ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles by 2020" in the main indicators for comprehensive transportation development. Future possibilities: Beyond improving ETC installation convenience and passenger vehicle adoption rates, future efforts will promote ETC use for trucks and explore deeper integration of ETC systems with vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, and smart transportation developments. This will provide comprehensive travel services for car owners, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC usage.
