美国国家公共电台 NPR--N.H. community colleges are helping to train much needed electric vehicle mechanics

N.H. community colleges are helping¹ to train much needed electric vehicle mechanics

Transcript²

Mechanics need different skills to fix electric vehicles. That's contributing to a shortage of EV mechanics. In New Hampshire, EV training programs are working to get technicians up to speed.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Electric vehicles tend to require less maintenance than their combustion³ engine counterparts. But when an EV needs a fix, not every mechanic has a know-how⁴. Sarah Gibson of New Hampshire Public Radio tells us how local schools and repair shops are bringing technicians up to speed.

SARAH GIBSON, BYLINE⁵: In the auto⁶ repair wing of White Mountains Community College, Troy LaChance and his students are building an electric car.

TROY LACHANCE: And you can see the relief here for where that high-voltage cabling comes through.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Comes out, yeah.

LACHANCE: See it?

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Yep.

LACHANCE: So that box will bolt to the floor.

GIBSON: The kit⁷ for this car is designed by a California company as a learning tool. It can be disassembled and rebuilt every semester. It looks pretty plain - two seats, no roof - but it can go up to 60 miles an hour. LaChance says this is the new frontier.

LACHANCE: It's not like it used to be. It's not all gears and oil and a lot of mechanical stuff anymore. There is a lot of programming and electronics that happens in general. EVs, obviously, is even more.

GIBSON: The number of electric vehicles in New England is expected to increase dramatically over the next decade, experts estimate by at least 2 million. LaChance says technicians are going to need to know the EV basics, how they work and how to handle their high-voltage batteries, which, without proper safety precautions, can be deadly.

LACHANCE: It's really the high-voltage stuff, and being able to recognize when high voltage is included in that repair is part of that training.

GIBSON: Community colleges are part of the pipeline⁸ preparing the next generation of technicians. But LaChance says his classes are shrinking. Fewer young people are interested in this career. It's a problem the whole auto industry is facing. And requiring an EV class as part of the degree here was a risk because most students aren't jazzed about EVs at first. Take 22-year-old Alex Anderson. He got interested in cars first with his granddad fixing motorcycles and his 1992 Toyota Camry. He says, at first, working on an EV wasn't intuitive.

ALEX ANDERSON: I always made fun of electric vehicles before I did this class. I still do a little bit, but I actually quite enjoy it.

GIBSON: And if he really enjoys it, he could end up working for someone like Drew Young, who directs services and an apprenticeship⁹ program at a used car dealership¹⁰ near Concord¹¹.

DREW YOUNG: I would almost liken it to being, you know, in the medical profession. Some people specialize, some people are general practitioners¹², some people are surgeons, and you've got to find out where your niche¹³ is.

GIBSON: Young says, so far, only a handful of his technicians have been excited about getting EV certified¹⁴. He's hoping that gradually more will get on board.

YOUNG: At some point in time, internal combustion vehicles are going to become fewer, and these will become more prevalent. And if you can't do these, you're not going to be as worthwhile or as valuable as an employee.

GIBSON: At a Ford¹⁵ dealership up the road from Young's shop, Brian Tuttle is an example of a technician in that EV niche.

BRIAN TUTTLE: I am definitely the EV nerd here. I've gotten pretty much immersed in them.

GIBSON: Tuttle's been working with Ford Motor Company for 30 years, and he says electric vehicles have kept him engaged intellectually for the last 10. EV customers come here specifically for him, but he wonders about who will take his place.

TUTTLE: Obviously, we're not going to be around forever. It's going to be a little challenging for the industry when us old guys retire.

GIBSON: Tuttle says some of the best bets are the community colleges and apprenticeship programs. And maybe, with the right teacher and class, young people will get that EV bug¹⁶ just like he has. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Gibson.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 combustion   

n.燃烧；氧化；骚动

参考例句：

• We might be tempted to think of combustion.我们也许会联想到氧化。
• The smoke formed by their combustion is negligible.由它燃烧所生成的烟是可忽略的。

4 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

7 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

8 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

9 apprenticeship   

n.学徒身份；学徒期

参考例句：

• She was in the second year of her apprenticeship as a carpenter. 她当木工学徒已是第二年了。
• He served his apprenticeship with Bob. 他跟鲍勃当学徒。

10 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

11 concord   

n.和谐；协调

参考例句：

• These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
• His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。

12 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

13 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

14 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

15 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

16 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。