原創：顰兒翻譯
2020年12月25日
首發於顰兒說英語
篇首語：
自2020年10月19日，每周帶您讀五篇外刊，今天是第39 篇。
該筆記著作權歸顰兒翻譯所有，如需轉載，請聯繫本人。
Exclusive: Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes'next level' battery technology - sources
Eyes：考慮、期待
顰兒評：
What？！蘋果公司計劃2024年生產汽車，並搭配使用新一代電池技術……哇，以後汽車行業更熱鬧了
(Reuters) - Apple Inc is moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle that could include its own breakthrough battery technology, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
顰兒筆記：
self-driving car 自動駕駛、無人駕駛
passenger vehicle 乘用車
people familiar with the matter 知情人士
路透社自知情人士知悉，蘋果公司正在研發無人駕駛技術，並計劃2024年生產無人駕駛乘用車，該車型將搭配使用自主研發的突破性電池技術。
The iPhone maker's automotive efforts, known as Project Titan, have proceeded unevenly since 2014 when it first started to design its own vehicle from scratch. At one point, Apple drew back the effort to focus on software and reassessed its goals. Doug Field, an Apple veteran who had worked at Tesla Inc, returned to oversee the project in 2018 and laid off 190 people from the team in 2019.
Start from scratch 白手起家、從零開始、從頭開始
at one point 一度
Draw back 後退、後縮、撤回、收回、縮回
Veteran 老手、老兵、經驗豐富的人
Oversee 監督、監視
Lay off 辭退、解僱、下崗 = fire = dismiss
Since then, Apple has progressed enough that it now aims to build a vehicle for consumers, two people familiar with the effort said, asking not to be named because Apple's plans are not public. Apple's goal of building a personal vehicle for the mass market contrasts with rivals such as Alphabet Inc's Waymo, which has built robo-taxis to carry passengers for a driverless ride-hailing service.
two people familiar with the effort知情人士
asking not to be named 不願透露姓名的
Apple's plans are not public.蘋果的這一計劃尚未公諸於眾
Personal vehicle 私家車、自用車
robo-taxis 自動駕駛計程車、無人駕駛計程車
driverless ride-hailing service無人駕駛網約車服務
蘋果要生產的是私家車，無人駕駛私家車，和市面上的無人駕駛計程車不同，無人駕駛計程車已經很高級了，可以盡享無人駕駛網約車服務，咱們國內市場業已投放，只是顰兒比較保守，對乘客安全問題仍有所擔心，你敢做無人駕駛網約車嗎？
Central to Apple's strategy is a new battery design that could "radically" reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle's range, according to a third person who has seen Apple's battery design.
這一新型電池技術貌似很厲害哈，既可以降低電池成本，還可以延長汽車續航裡程。
Apple declined to comment on its plans or future products.
對其汽車計劃及未來產品，「低調的」蘋果公司拒絕評論。
Making a vehicle represents a supply chain challenge even for Apple, a company with deep pockets that makes hundreds of millions of electronics products each year with parts from around the world, but has never made a car. It took Elon Musk's Tesla 17 years before it finally turned a sustained profit making cars.
Supply chain 供應鏈
deep pockets 千萬別直譯成「深口袋」，不過也和深口袋差不多了，口袋越深，裝的錢越多嘛，這個成語和囊中羞澀正好相反，而是「財力雄厚、雄厚資金、超有錢」的意思
electronics products電子產品
from around the world = from all around the world 來自全世界、世界各地
turned a sustained profit making cars才生產出持續贏利的汽車
幹什麼都不是隨隨便便成功的，要耐得住性子，受得了寂寞，忍受投資大量財力物力人力卻可能無所獲的痛苦煎熬。再資力雄厚的大公司，即使滿世界買汽車配件，也不可能一下子就造出來個暢銷款汽車。想想特斯拉，經歷了十七年的煎熬才獲得巨大成功，天啊嚕，十七年一直投資卻無收益，哪個公司能吃得消，熬得住？馬斯克太能忍了，顰兒佩服得五體投地。
"If there is one company on the planet that has the resources to do that, it's probably Apple. But at the same time, it's not a cellphone," said a person who worked on Project Titan.
句型摘錄：
If there is one company on the planet that從句，it's probably ……But at the same time, it’s not a sth.
It remains unclear who would assemble an Apple-branded car, but sources have said they expect the company to rely on a manufacturing partner to build vehicles. And there is still a chance Apple will decide to reduce the scope of its efforts to an autonomous driving system that would be integrated with a car made by a traditional automaker, rather than the iPhone maker selling an Apple-branded car, one of the people added.
Apple-branded car蘋果品牌的汽車、蘋果牌子的汽車、蘋果牌汽車
sources have said 知情人士透露、表示
蘋果公司可能不會獨立研發製造汽車，而是依靠傳統汽車製造商，聯合生產製造無人駕駛汽車。
Two people with knowledge of Apple's plans warned pandemic-related delays could push the start of production into 2025 or beyond.
people with knowledge of 知情人士
pandemic-related delays 疫情所致耽擱
因疫情，汽車生產計劃或推至2025年或更晚。
Shares of Tesla ended 6.5% lower on Monday after their debut in the S&P 500 on Monday. Apple shares ended 1.24% higher after the news.
debut首次亮相、首場秀
收盤時，特斯拉股價下跌6.5% share of Tesla ended 6.5% lower、蘋果股價上漲1.24% Apple shares ended 1.24% higher.
Apple has decided to tap outside partners for elements of the system, including lidar sensors, which help self-driving cars get a three-dimensional view of the road, two people familiar with the company's plans said.
Tap 開發、利用
Apple's car might feature multiple lidar sensors for scanning different distances, another person said. Some sensors could be derived from Apple's internally developed lidar units, that person said. Apple's iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro models released this year both feature lidar sensors.
Release 發布
Reuters had previously reported that Apple had held talks with potential lidar suppliers, but it was also examining building its own sensor.
held talks with舉行會談
As for the car's battery, Apple plans to use a unique "monocell" design that bulks up the individual cells in the battery and frees up space inside the battery pack by eliminating pouches and modules that hold battery materials, one of the people said.
Free up space inside the battery pack釋放電池組內部空間
Pouch 軟包、袋裝電池 cell
Bulk up 積累、蓄積、加大、加厚
Apple's design means that more active material can be packed inside the battery, giving the car a potentially longer range. Apple is also examining a chemistry for the battery called LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, the person said, which is inherently less likely to overheat and is thus safer than other types of lithium-ion batteries.
giving the car a potentially longer range汽車續航裡程更長
LFP or lithium iron phosphate鋰離子電池（lithium-ion batteries）、磷酸鐵鋰
is inherently less likely to 天生不太可能、本就不太可能
句型摘錄：and is thus 比較級than noun
"It’s next level," the person said of Apple's battery technology. "Like the first time you saw the iPhone."
Apple had previously engaged Magna International Inc in talks about manufacturing a car, but the talks petered out as Apple's plans became unclear, a person familiar with those previous efforts said. Magna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
engage in talks about 就……商談、進行談判
Peter out 逐漸結束、逐漸消失
To turn a profit, automotive contract manufacturers often ask for volumes that could pose a challenge even to Apple, which would be a newcomer to the automotive market.
turn a profit 獲利
"In order to have a viable assembly plant, you need 100,000 vehicles annually, with more volume to come," the person said.
viable 切實可行的、能獨立發展的、可實施的、能獨立生存的、能生育的
Some Apple investors reacted to the Reuters report on the company's plans with caution. Trip Miller, managing partner at Apple investor Gullane Capital Partners, said it could be tough for Apple to produce large volumes of cars out of the gate.
With caution 小心地、謹慎地
Out of the gate 一開始
"It would seem to me that if Apple develops some advanced operating system or battery technology, it would be best utilized in a partnership with an existing manufacturer under license," Miller said. "As we see with Tesla and the legacy auto companies, having a very complex manufacturing network around the globe doesn't happen overnight."
句型摘錄：It would seem to me that if從句，it would be best……
see with = agree with 同意
legacy遺產、傳統的、過時的傳承下來的
doesn't happen overnight不可能發生在一夜之間
Hal Eddins, chief economist at Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel, said Apple has a history of higher margins than most automakers.
economist經濟學家、經濟學人
Margins 利潤
"My initial reaction as a shareholder is, huh?" Eddins said. "Still don’t really see the appeal of the car business, but Apple may be eyeing another angle than what I’m seeing."
initial reaction 最初反應、第一反應
See the appeal of 看出有吸引力