美国国家公共电台 NPR Who Charges All Those Electric Scooters? Follow A Nocturnal 'Juicer'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Walk through an American city, and there's an increasing chance you will need to maneuver¹ around an electric scooter just parked there on the sidewalk. While driving, you pass people riding those scooters. They're for rent by the minute. They run on batteries, and those batteries are at the center of this story because somebody has to charge them. NPR's Camila Domonoske met a man who has a side hustle² as he sleeps.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE³: Joel Kirzner just finished watching the sunset from his 13th-floor office in Arlington, Va. His day job is over, but his evening gig is just beginning. He pulls out his phone and opens his scooter apps. People use these apps to ride scooters during the day. But it's night. Kirzner is hunting for scooters that need to be charged.

JOEL KIRZNER: It's like a "Pokemon Go," and you make money.

DOMONOSKE: He heads down to the parking garage and hops⁴ in his car, a burgundy Subaru Impreza.

KIRZNER: Yes. We have two scooters that are supposed to be right over there.

DOMONOSKE: The scooters are standing⁵ on a sidewalk just around the corner. Kirzner can make $4 on each. The amount varies based on how low the battery is or how long the scooter's been left there. He hops out, scans the scooters and puts them in the back of his compact hatchback.

KIRZNER: Now, remember, we just left my office building, and that took around 30 seconds. So that's $8 in a matter of one minute. So I think that's a pretty good deal.

(SOUNDBITE OF CAR DOOR SHUTTING)

KIRZNER: All right. Next one.

DOMONOSKE: Kirzner is just getting started.

KIRZNER: There's another one right across the street. It's too easy tonight. This is perfect.

DOMONOSKE: Kirzner picks up electric scooters from two companies, Lime and Bird. Scooters are hot. These companies are both valued at billions of dollars, and they rely on gig economy workers like him to charge their scooters.

KIRZNER: And it should beep in five, four, three, two, one.

(SOUNDBITE OF SCOOTER BEEPING)

KIRZNER: Beep.

DOMONOSKE: Some people charge a few scooters a night. Others charge dozens.

KIRZNER: All right. So that's three. So we have made $12.

DOMONOSKE: Back in the car, Kirzner puts on his go-to scooter-charging song.

KIRZNER: Let's go find our next Bird.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I NEED A DOLLAR")

ALOE BLACC: (Singing) I need a dollar, dollar. Dollar is what I need. Hey, hey.

DOMONOSKE: Kirzner says that over the last six months, he's made more than $9,000 at this side hustle. From the scooter company's perspective, Kirzner's not just charging scooters. He's also retrieving⁶ them from out-of-the-way locations, like one that's practically under a bush and hasn't been ridden in four days.

KIRZNER: They can drop them off wherever the heck they want to take 'em. You know? I mean, I've - it's right over there.

DOMONOSKE: The next morning, he'll put them in a better spot. Lime scooters are green, but the Birds are black. They beep and flash to help Kirzner find them in the dark. The electric scooters stack up in his hatchback. He's got a system for squeezing them in.

(SOUNDBITE OF SCOOTERS BEING STACKED)

DOMONOSKE: His record is 14 in one load. Some nights, he does several runs.

KIRZNER: If I want to go crazy tonight, I can capture 30 Birds tonight. There's a ton of Birds right now.

(SOUNDBITE OF CAR HORN HONKING)

KIRZNER: Let's go, buddy⁷.

DOMONOSKE: A few months ago, there was fierce competition to pick up these scooters. But it's cold and windy tonight, and the companies are paying less per scooter than they used to. So there aren't as many rivals to contend with. After collecting a dozen scooters and wrestling the last one into position...

KIRZNER: There we go.

DOMONOSKE: ...Kirzner heads home and starts to carry the scooters to his patio⁸. He's 42, a consultant⁹ with a background in architecture. He's got a good job. He says his income is decent, but he's glad to have a side gig.

KIRZNER: I have expensive rent, expensive car payments, cable bills. You know? You know, they talk about the, like, you know, disappearing middle class. I feel like I'm in that zone where I can live fine, comfortably. But, you know, you want to have a little more financial stability, this definitely helps.

DOMONOSKE: He runs an extension cord from his kitchen to his patio to power up the scooters. His chargers are neatly¹⁰ organized.

KIRZNER: I feel like these Birds are almost my kids at this point. You know? And I've been taking care of them so much.

DOMONOSKE: The scooters will take a few hours to charge. Kirzner says the impact on his electric bill is negligible. Before 7 a.m. tomorrow, Kirzner will unplug his flock, load them back up and neatly place the charged-up scooters in spots preselected by Bird. And then he'll head to his day job, where his co-workers have a nickname for him. They call him the Bird Man. Camila Domonoske, NPR.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I NEED A DOLLAR")

ALOE BLACC: (Singing) Hey, hey. Well, I need a dollar, dollar.

1 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

2 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

3 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。

4 hops   

跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• The sparrow crossed the lawn in a series of hops. 那麻雀一蹦一跳地穿过草坪。
• It is brewed from malt and hops. 它用麦精和蛇麻草酿成。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 retrieving   

n.检索（过程），取还v.取回( retrieve的现在分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Ignoring all, he searches the ground carefully for any cigarette-end worth retrieving. 没管打锣的说了什么，他留神的在地上找，看有没有值得拾起来的烟头儿。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Retrieving the nodules from these great depths is no easy task. 从这样的海底深渊中取回结核可不是容易的事情。 来自辞典例句

7 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

8 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

9 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

10 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。