地球所不能承受之重：中国人的汽车

The first car mostly made in China has arrived for sale in the U.S. David Biello reports

The first car made mostly in China is now for sale in the U.S. and it's no Yugo. It's an all electric sedan known as the Coda that has a longer range than competitors like the Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF, but also costs more. 

The new import signals China's arrival as a car chassis builder as well as a center for advanced batteries. And it's not just for export. The market in China for cars may soon swell the number of automobiles on the world's roads from roughly 1 billion to some 2 billion by mid-century.

The question is: what kind of cars will they be?

Early sales figures for electric vehicles like the Coda in the U.S. have been disappointing, despite the fact that the cars can get the equivalent of more than 100 miles-per-gallon. Why? Most likely cost and that's even more of a factor in China where electric cars remain out of economic reach. BYD, short for Build Your Dream, an electric carmaker in China has sold less than 1,000 such cars since 2008, more than half of which were buses and taxis.

All cars represent a tremendous drain on natural resources, from oil to steel. Regardless of whether we can afford cars made in China or elsewhere, the question remains whether the planet can.

—David Biello

 

原文地址：http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=can-the-world-handle-chinese-cars-11-09-18

第一部由中国自主研发的汽车已经在美国开售。大卫.别洛报道

第一辆由中国自主研发的汽车目前已经在美国开售了，它不是南斯拉夫牌汽车。这部全电力轿车名叫“终结”。车身比竞争对手福特、尼桑产的都要长，但同时，也更贵。

新的进口标志着中国作为汽车底盘和高级电池生产国已经进驻美国市场了。中国不仅仅是要出口。等到世界中期的时候，中国认对汽车的需求可能很快会使世界上的汽车数量从原有的

大约10亿辆增加到20亿辆。

问题是：他们需要的是什么样的汽车？

尽管事实显示，这种全电力车在同等情况下比普通车能多行驶100公里，但是之前的一些数据表明像“终结”这样的电力汽车在美国并不怎么收欢迎。这是为什么？很可能是因为价格。中国有另一个原因：电力汽车也不是大多数人买得起的。“比亚迪”英文名BYD，即Build Your Dream 意为“筑梦”.2008年以来，中国的一个汽车制造商卖出的这种车不超过1000辆，只比公交车和出租车的一半稍微多一点。

从石油到钢铁，所有的汽车对于自然资源而言都是可怕的消耗者。先不管我们卖得起中国的汽车或是外国的，问题在于我们的星球能不能承受得起这种压力。