美国国家公共电台 NPR--Is the auto industry ready for new proposed fuel efficiency standards?

Is the auto¹ industry ready for new proposed fuel efficiency standards?

Transcript²

New proposed fuel efficiency standards could push U.S. car manufacturers to adopt electric vehicles quickly — within the next decade. Is the auto industry ready?

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In fewer than 10 years, American roadways, or at least the cars on them, may look very different. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce new auto emission³ standards later today. They're aimed at dramatically increasing the number of electric vehicles sold in the U.S. Last year, EVs made up less than 6% of vehicle sales. These new standards could push that to as high as 67% by 2032. But some carmakers say the industry just isn't ready. Michelle Krebs joins me now. She's the executive analyst⁴ at Cox Automotive. Good morning.

MICHELLE KREBS: Good morning.

FADEL: OK. So first, what would these rules actually do?

KREBS: These rules, they are the strictest limits ever on auto emissions⁵. And the whole idea behind it is to speed up our transition to EVs, which don't have emissions. There was a voluntary goal to get to 50% by 2030. That has been up to 67%...

FADEL: Yeah.

KREBS: ...By 2032. Very ambitious goals.

FADEL: Realistic? Is that timeline realistic, especially from the auto industry's perspective?

KREBS: Well, and not just the auto industry, in part. It's also the consumer part.

FADEL: Yeah.

KREBS: It's enormously ambitious. You know, we've had previous mandates⁶ where, like, higher fuel economy standards and emission standards. But they were all on gasoline engines, required some tweaking. This reinvents the vehicle. It reinvents how consumers interact with their vehicle. It reimagines the entire industrial base. So this is a massive change.

FADEL: What would you say are the biggest challenges? Is it making the vehicles, getting people to purchase them? I mean, what are the challenges to get to that number?

KREBS: I think it all lies with the consumer. Indeed, EVs are the fastest-selling vehicle category. Last year, they were up 60% over the previous year. We just put out some new numbers that in the first quarter, the U.S. industry sold 258,000. That's the highest we've ever seen. And we anticipate a million. But we sell 14, 15, 16 million vehicles per year. It's - so it's only 7% of all vehicle sales. And this requires a change in consumer behavior. You know, you don't just pull into a gas station and top off your tank. The other big obstacle is they cost more.

FADEL: Yeah.

KREBS: The average cost of an EV is $58,000, versus⁷ a still-high $48,000 for a gas-engine vehicle.

FADEL: Wow. So that's hard for people. Already, vehicles are so expensive right now. And a lot of people plan to drive their car until the wheels fall off. But if the rules change, maybe that's not an option for them.

KREBS: Well, the EPA is arguing that these standards will actually save consumers money. They're saying, you know, more than $9,000 over eight years by not buying gas. EVs, theoretically, have less maintenance because they have less parts, and so they'll save in repair bills. But I don't think, really, consumers look at it that way.

FADEL: Does this impact auto workers?

KREBS: Yes. We are seeing automakers build new plants to assemble these vehicles and to build batteries. And it's a mixed bag. There will be new jobs created, but we could lose factory jobs because EVs require fewer people to assemble them.

FADEL: Michelle Krebs is the executive analyst with Cox Automotive. Thank you so much for your time.

KREBS: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF B FLEISCHMANN'S "COMPOSURE")

1 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。

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 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

7 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。