ETC in Chinese stands for Electronic Toll Collection (Electronic Toll), 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 channels. 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's charging principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on highways. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the onboard electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with banks, the purpose of collecting tolls without requiring vehicles to stop at road and bridge toll stations is achieved. All of 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: 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, lowers wear and fuel consumption, and users can also enjoy a 5% discount on tolls; Improved efficiency: The theoretical efficiency of ETC lanes can be increased by 2-3 times or more, making traditional ETC more updated, faster, and higher-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 explicitly set the goal in the main indicators of comprehensive transportation development during the "13th Five-Year Plan" to "achieve a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, the future will also promote the use of ETC for trucks and explore the deep integration of the ETC system with smart transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing area is 8 meters. When encountering a vehicle in front that has stopped, to prevent the ETC device of the front vehicle from malfunctioning or not having an ETC device at all, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters from the front vehicle to avoid automatic sensing and paying for the front vehicle. The recognition speed for ETC lane passage is 20 km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle device information cannot be read, which will also lead 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 inspection. If the loosening or detachment is not due to human factors, it only needs to be reactivated. When using a debit card bound to ETC, insufficient balance will also lead to charging failure. Follow the guidance of on-site staff to use the manual MTC lane and pass by cash or card. Excessive thickness of the car windshield can cause poor sensing. This is especially important for vehicles that have had accidents and had their windshields replaced or for friends who have modified their front windshields.
