What does ETC mean for cars?

[LaCamille]

ETC in Chinese refers to: Electronic Toll Collection system. It is currently the most advanced road and bridge toll collection method in the world. ETC uses dedicated short-range communication between the vehicle's electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at toll stations, combined with computer networking technology for backend bank settlement processing. This enables vehicles to pass through highway or bridge toll stations without stopping to pay tolls. The fully automatic electronic toll collection system (ETC) is one of the service functions of intelligent transportation systems. It is particularly suitable for use on highways or in busy bridge and tunnel environments. Currently, there are dedicated ETC toll lanes at highway toll stations. Vehicle owners only need to install a sensor card on the windshield and prepay funds. When passing through toll stations, there is no need for manual payment or stopping—highway tolls will be automatically deducted from the card, enabling automatic toll collection. This system takes less than two seconds per vehicle, and its lane capacity is 5 to 10 times that of manual toll lanes. Using the fully automatic electronic toll collection system can make highway toll collection paperless and cashless, fundamentally eliminating toll revenue leakage and solving financial management chaos in highway toll collection. Additionally, implementing this system can save infrastructure and management costs. Documents required for ETC application: The vehicle owner's valid ID card, the original vehicle registration certificate and a copy (the page with the most recent annual inspection stamp), and if applying on behalf of someone else, the agent's valid ID card. If applying through major bank branches, a corresponding bank debit or credit card is also required. Some banks only support ETC binding with credit cards, while others may require freezing a portion of the debit card balance as a deposit. Benefits of installing ETC: Saves time: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in queues. Green and eco-friendly: Reduces noise and exhaust emissions by eliminating stops at toll stations, lowering pollution. Reduces wear and tear: Saves costs by decreasing the frequency of vehicle acceleration and braking, reducing wear and fuel consumption. Improves efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase traffic efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC systems more advanced, faster, and higher-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, intercity transportation cards will be widely used in key city clusters, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." The plan also set a target of "50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020." Future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage rates for passenger vehicles, 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 other smart transportation developments. This will provide comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. If the vehicle ahead stops, maintain a distance of over 10 meters to prevent accidental toll payment for the other vehicle due to ETC device failure or absence. The ETC lane recognition speed limit is 20 km/h. Driving too fast may result in failed device reading and toll deduction. Unauthorized removal or movement of the OBU device, or detachment/loosening of the ETC electronic tag, may render the tag ineffective. In such cases, take it to the bank or highway service center for inspection. Non-deliberate detachment or loosening only requires reactivation. Insufficient balance on a debit card linked to ETC may cause toll deduction failure. Follow on-site staff guidance to use manual MTC lanes with cash or card payment. Excessively thick windshields may cause poor ETC signal reception. This is especially relevant for vehicles with replaced or modified windshields after accidents.

[LeErin]

Car ETC refers to the Electronic Toll Collection system, simply put, it's a non-stop toll payment method on highways. When I first started driving, I thought this thing was pretty amazing—no need to queue up and stop at toll booths, it automatically deducts the fee, saving a lot of time. It works through a small device installed in the car (we call it the On-Board Unit, OBU) that communicates with the toll station's antenna, scanning the information and directly deducting money from the linked bank card or prepaid card. What I find most impressive is that it reduces traffic congestion, especially during peak hours, making things much easier. Plus, installation is quite convenient; you can get it done at a bank or highway service point, and linking a bank card even gives you a discount on toll fees. Nowadays, many toll stations promote ETC, encouraging people to use this eco-friendly and energy-saving method, as fewer stops mean reduced exhaust emissions. Overall, ETC makes driving trips more relaxed and is an innovation in modern transportation.