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汽車製造商競相提升電動汽車
By John Russell
18 October 2020
Carmakers from the United States and other countries are thinking about ways to manufacture and improve a technology called an e-axle or e-drive. This technology is fast becoming an area of competition in the automobile industry.
美國等國的汽車製造商正在想辦法製造和改進一種名為電動車橋或電動傳動系統的技術。這種技術正迅速成為汽車行業互相競爭的關鍵領域。
The e-axle, or e-drive, joins an electric vehicle's gear, motor, and power-control electronics. It is the "brain" that controls how a vehicle uses energy stored in its battery. This "brain" turns that energy into power. It also helps get back energy lost when stopping the vehicle.
電動車橋或電動傳動系統連接著電動汽車的齒輪、電動機和功率控制設備。它是控制車輛如何使用電池中所存儲能量的「大腦。」這個「大腦」將電能轉換為動力。它還有助於電動汽車在剎車時回收能量。
In other words, a well-designed e-axle increases a vehicle's power efficiency and ability to change speeds. It also helps extend the vehicle's driving range and its smoothness.
換句話說，精心設計的電動車橋可以提高汽車的動力效率和變速能力。它還有助於延長車輛的行駛距離以及改善行駛平穩性。
The technology has become a competitive area, in part, because automakers are under pressure to cut electric vehicles' manufacturing costs. The goal is to make them cost as much as cars powered by gasoline.
這種技術已經成為競爭的關鍵領域，部分原因是汽車製造商承受著削減電動汽車製造成本的壓力。目標是讓它們的成本與燃油驅動汽車接近。
Progress in new technologies is also important for efforts to cut pollution, including carbon dioxide, also known as CO2.
新技術的進步還對減少二氧化碳等汙染物的措施非常重要。
Vehicle-based CO2 emissions are responsible for about 17% of emissions from all sources, says Zifei Yang. She is with the International Council on Clean Transportation in Washington.
楊梓菲（音譯）表示，車輛的二氧化碳排放量佔到了全部來源排放量的17%。她在華盛頓國際清潔運輸委員會任職。
Yang noted that the reduction in vehicle emissions has slowed as more people drive bigger, more polluting sports utility vehicles. Other industry experts point to changes in countries such as China and India, where more people are buying and using cars.
楊梓菲指出，隨著越來越多人駕駛更大、汙染更嚴重的運動型多功能汽車，減少車輛排放的速度已經放緩。其它行業專家指出中國和印度等國正在發生變化，更多人開始購買和駕駛汽車。
In recent years, the Japanese business Nidec has turned its attention to automobiles and e-axles. Shigenobu Nagamori is the company's founder.
近年來，日本企業尼得科已經將重心轉向了汽車和電動車橋。永守重信是該公司的創始人。
Nagamori says he wants Nidec to control up to 35% of the world's e-axle market by the year 2030. That market could be worth $20- to 30-billion a year by then, up from an estimated $2.8 to $3 billion today.
永守重信表示，他希望尼得科在2030年前能夠控制全球電動車橋市場的35%。屆時這一市場的價值可能會從現在估算的每年28億到30億美元，上升至200億到300億美元之間。
Nagamori has said he believes the way to become a market leader in e-axles is to reduce the cost for the technology. The way to do that, he said, is by being able to produce every part that goes into an e-drive system.
永守重信說過，他相信成為電動車橋市場領導者到辦法就是降低這項技術的成本。他說，實現這一點的辦法是能夠生產電動傳動系統的每個零件。
Some automotive technology suppliers are working together to manufacture e-axle systems. Japan's Denso and Aisin formed a group called BluE Nexus in 2019. This year, U.S. parts supplier BorgeWarner agreed to purchase Britain-based Delphi, and Japan's Hitachi Automotive joined with three Honda group suppliers. Automakers Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota and smaller Japanese brands are each making technology groups in part to drive down e-axle manufacturing costs.
一些汽車技術供應商正在合作開發電動車橋系統。日本的電裝公司和愛信公司在2019年成立了一家名為BluE Nexus的機構。今年，美國零件供應商博格華納公司同意收購總部位於英國的德爾福公司，日本日立汽車公司與3家本田集團供應商聯手。汽車製造商大眾、福特、豐田以及一些日本小品牌各自組建技術機構，部分原因就是為了降低電動車橋的製造成本。
Electric car maker Tesla developed its own e-axle technology. But it is unclear whether the company continues to use it in more recent Tesla models, noted Reuters news agency.
電動汽車製造商特斯拉公司開發了自己的電動車橋技術。據路透社報導，目前尚不清楚該公司是否會繼續在最新型的特斯拉汽車中使用這種技術。
General Motors, or GM, Nissan and some other carmakers believe e-axles offer such a large area for growth that they want to design and manufacture their own systems.
通用、日產等汽車製造商認為，電動車橋提供了巨大的增長空間，它們希望設計和製造自己的系統。
GM believes it can better join the e-axle with the battery and the rest of the vehicle, making for a quieter, smoother and more economical drive, said the company's Adam Kwiatkowski.
通用汽車的亞當·科維特科夫斯基表示，通用汽車認為它可以更好地將電動車橋與電池以及車輛其餘部件結合在一起，從而使行駛更加安靜、平穩和經濟。
I'm John Russell.
我是約翰·羅素。
gear – n. a set of wheels that work together to affect the relation between the speed of a moving vehicle and the speed driven parts
battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity
efficiency – n. the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time, or energy
range – n. the distance within which something can be reached
gasoline – n. a liquid fuel used to power motor vehicles
emission – n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas); something sent out or given off
source – n. a place or thing from which something comes
brand – n. a model or kind of product
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