The ETC card is universally accepted nationwide and achieved nationwide network connectivity as early as 2015. 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, requiring vehicles to pay tolls manually. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they must be activated first. During free holiday periods, ETC users can still use highways, and passing through ETC lanes will not incur charges for those who have installed ETC. The principle of ETC toll deduction: Highways have one or more ETC lanes. Using microwave short-range communication between the vehicle's electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, along with computer network technology for backend bank settlement, vehicles can pass through toll stations without stopping to pay tolls. 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: Promotes low-carbon travel by reducing noise and exhaust emissions as vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs by decreasing the frequency of vehicle starts and stops, thereby reducing wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase vehicle throughput by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC faster, newer, 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 will achieve interoperability of transportation cards, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." It also set a target in the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development indicators: "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, efforts will be made to promote ETC usage for trucks and explore deeper integration of ETC systems with smart transportation developments such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination. This will provide comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC usage. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. If the vehicle in front stops, maintain a distance of over 10 meters to prevent automatic fee deduction for the wrong vehicle due to faulty or absent ETC devices. The recognition speed for ETC lanes is 20 km/h. Excessive speed may prevent reading vehicle device information, leading to failed toll deductions. Unauthorized removal or movement of the OBU device, or detachment/loosening of the ETC electronic tag, will render the tag invalid. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was issued or a highway service center for inspection. Non-deliberate detachment or loosening only requires reactivation. Using a debit card linked to ETC with insufficient balance may cause toll deduction failure. Follow on-site staff guidance to use manual MTC lanes and pay via cash or card. Excessively thick windshields may cause poor sensing, especially for vehicles with replaced or modified windshields after accidents.
