What does ETC mean in cars?

[DeHaven]

ETC stands for Electronic Toll Collection, which is an automatic toll collection system for highways or bridges. According to the regulations of the State Council, starting from 2020, vehicles without ETC will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual lanes. During free holiday periods, vehicles can still use the highways. For users who have installed ETC, passing through ETC lanes will not incur charges. ETC charging principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on the highway. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the on-board electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane of the toll station, computer networking technology is used to settle accounts with the bank in the background. This achieves the purpose of vehicles not needing to stop at toll stations to pay tolls, all 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: Low-carbon, vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs, reduces the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, and lowers wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: The efficiency of vehicles passing through ETC lanes can theoretically increase by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC updates faster and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will be significantly increased." It also set a clear target in the main indicators of comprehensive transportation development during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period: "By 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles will reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote the use of ETC for trucks in the future. Exploration will be conducted to deeply integrate the ETC system with smart transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications. Precautions for using ETC: The ETC transaction sensing area is 8 meters. When encountering a stationary vehicle ahead, to prevent the ETC device of the vehicle ahead from malfunctioning or not having an ETC device at all, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters from the vehicle ahead to avoid automatic sensing and paying for the vehicle ahead. The recognition speed for ETC lane passage is 20 km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle device information cannot be read, leading to charging failure. Unauthorized removal or movement of the OBU device, detachment or loosening of the ETC electronic tag, etc., will cause the electronic tag to fail. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was issued or the highway service office for testing. If the loosening or detachment is not man-made, it only needs to be reactivated. When using a debit card bound to ETC, insufficient balance will also cause charging failure. Follow the guidance of on-site staff to go to the manual MTC lane and pass using cash or card payment. Excessive thickness of the car windshield may cause poor sensing. This is especially important for vehicles that have had their windshields replaced after accidents or for those who have modified their front windshields.

[LeMia]

I see you're asking about the ETC in cars, which stands for Electronic Toll Collection, translated as electronic toll collection system. I remember the first time I used it at a highway toll station, I didn't have to stop and queue, just a 'beep' and I passed through, saving a lot of time. Nowadays, many cars are equipped with ETC devices, that little box on the front windshield called the On-Board Unit (OBU). It communicates with the toll station's antenna via radio and automatically deducts fees from the linked bank card. Installation is simple, just go to a bank or service point to get a card, and some even give the device for free. There are many benefits: it avoids the hassle of cash change, reduces traffic congestion, and is environmentally friendly. I often drive long distances, and after installing ETC, I saved half an hour of traffic jam time. A reminder: regularly check the OBU battery or software updates to ensure smooth signal transmission.