**The switch to battery-powered motoring means short-term pain but long-term gain for carmakers **
The high-pitched whirr of an electric car may not stir the soul like the bellow and growl of an internal combustion engine (ICE). But to compensate, electric motors give even the humblest cars explosive acceleration. Electric cars are similarly set for rapid forward thrust. Improving technology and tightening regulationson emissions from ICEs is about to propel electric vehicles (EVs) from a niche to the mainstream. After more than a century of reliance on fossil fuels, however, the route from petrol power to volts will be a tough one for carmakers to navigate.
- high-pitched 音調(diào)高的
- combustion n.燃燒（正式）
- whirr v.嗡嗡的響 n.嗡嗡的響聲
- stir v.攪拌 微動(dòng) 煥發(fā)
- bellow v&n怒吼
- growl n.怒吼
- humble 謙卑的 不大的
- thrust v猛推 沖 n推動(dòng)力 要點(diǎn) 猛推
電動(dòng)汽車沒(méi)有發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)那種雄壯的轟鳴聲躁锡，但是作為補(bǔ)償，它獲得了極大的加速度。不斷進(jìn)步的技術(shù)以及對(duì)內(nèi)燃機(jī)越來(lái)越嚴(yán)苛的法規(guī)讓電動(dòng)汽車從一個(gè)商機(jī)變成了主流。然而擺脫一百年來(lái)對(duì)化石燃料的依賴，步入電力時(shí)代是一條非常艱難的道路邮旷。
The change of gear is recent. One car in a hundred sold today is powered by electricity. The proportion of EVs on the world’s roads is still well below 1%. Most forecasters had reckoned that by 2025 that would rise to around 4%. Those estimates are undergoing a big overhaul as carmakers announce huge expansions in their production of EVs. Morgan Stanley, a bank, now says that by 2025 EV sales will hit 7m a year and make up 7% of vehicles on the road. Exane BNP Paribas, another bank,reckons that it could be more like 11% (see chart). But as carmakers plan for ever more battery power, even these figures could quickly seem too low.
當(dāng)前電動(dòng)汽車的份額不足1%，對(duì)于前景的預(yù)測(cè)眾說(shuō)紛紜流炕，汽車制造商大力發(fā)展電動(dòng)汽車妄讯，這些數(shù)字還是太少了胜嗓。
Ford’s boss is bolder still. In January Mark Fields announced that the “era of the electric vehicle is dawning”, and he reckons that the number of models of EVs will exceed pure ICE-powered cars within 15 years. Ford has promised 13 new electrified cars in the next five years. Others are making bigger commitments. Volkswagen, the world’s biggest carmaker, said last year that it would begin a product blitz in 2020 and launch 30 new battery-powered models by 2025, when EVs will account for up to a quarter of its sales. Daimler, a German rival, also recently set an ambitious target of up to a fifth of sales by the same date.
- Ford 福特
- Volkswagen 大眾汽車
- blitz 閃擊戰(zhàn)
Ford Volkswagen Daimler三家汽車廠對(duì)電動(dòng)汽車的一些目標(biāo)
The surge has two explanations: the rising cost of complying with emissions regulations and the falling cost of batteries. Pure EVs, which send no carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere, and hybrids, which produce far less than conventional engines, are a way to meet Europe’s emissions targets—albeit an expensive one. But the gains from cheaper methods such as turbocharging smaller engines, stop-start technology and weight reductions will no longer be enough, since a tougher testing regime, to be introduced in the wake of VW’s diesel-cheating scandal, will make those targets still harder to reach.
- surge 上升 涌動(dòng)
- comply 遵從 服從 順從
- regime 政體 組織方式 管理方式
電動(dòng)汽車興起的兩個(gè)原因：遵守排放規(guī)定成本升高牡整，電池價(jià)格降低粉铐。電動(dòng)汽車是一種達(dá)到歐洲排放標(biāo)準(zhǔn)比較昂貴的方式疼约，但是自從大眾出了丑聞之后，出臺(tái)了更嚴(yán)格的測(cè)試方法蝙泼，那些比較低端的方式很難達(dá)到標(biāo)準(zhǔn)程剥。
The hefty cost of preventing nitrogen oxide spewing from diesel engines, which emit far less carbon dioxide than the petrol equivalent, may see them disappear by 2025. Further development of ICEs could be enough to meet the 2021 targets. Carmakers also need to be prepared to hit the next ones, says Andrew Bergbaum of AlixPartners, a consulting firm. These, yet to be finalised in the EU for carbon dioxide, may be as low as 68g/km by 2025 compared with 130g/km today.
Regulations are favourable outside Europe, too. In China more than 400,000 pure EVs were sold last year, making it the world’s biggest market. The government, keen to clear the air of choking exhaust fumes, has plans for a quota that could insist that 8% of sales are EVs or hybrids by 2018. And even if Donald Trump relaxes American emissions standards, this will not hold back electrification. California, which accounts for one in eight cars sold in America, is allowed to set tougher environmental standards than the national ones. It, and seven of the other states that have adopted its emissions rules, have a target of 3.3m EVs on their roads by 2025.
- choking 令人窒息的
- fume 煙
歐洲之外的中國(guó)和美國(guó)在環(huán)境方面也采取了相關(guān)法律。
