乌干达演示太阳能汽车

AS IT IS 2016-08-04 Ugandan Company Demonstrates Solar-Powered Bus 乌干达演示太阳能汽车

A bus powered by the sun’s energy has made its public debut¹.

Kiira Motors Corporation demonstrated the new electric bus recently at a sports center in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Company officials claim it is the first solar-powered bus in Africa.

Kiira Motors is calling the new vehicle, Kayoola. It has solar panels² on top and seats for 35 passengers. The company hopes the Kayoola will become the first public buses in Africa to operate on solar power.

Mario Obuwa was the chief engineer of the project. He says the buses’ engines are completely silent.

“With this bus, there’s actually no engine. What is driving the bus is a motor, a traction³ motor, which is being run by a battery. And the battery banks are the ones that are linked to the solar system that’s on the roof. So we have the batteries that are driving the motor and that gives us a full range of 80 kilometers on full charge. And then the solar panels come in to supplement the extra mileage⁴, so it adds an extra twelve kilometers to the total.”

The Kayoola bus can be recharged with solar power or by connecting to an electric power source. Best of all, it does not release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Studies have linked the gas to rising temperatures on Earth’s surface.

Obuwa says the solar-powered buses will cut down on pollution. He thinks they will also help save money on fuel by depending 100% on sunlight.

While the Kayoola bus operates on battery power, its engineers say that it is just as powerful as a normal bus.

Ugandan officials like the idea of solar-powered buses. They believe that such vehicles could help solve Kampala's traffic problems because it will give people more choices.

The prototype⁵ model of the Kayoola shown to reporters in Kampala had an estimated cost of more than $140,000. If this model can be mass produced, the price will drop, and it will sell for around $55,000 each.

Kiira Motors has yet to say when it will begin selling the Kayoola bus.

Words in This Story

debut – n. the first appearance of a product, sport, event, etc.

solar – adj. of or related to the sun

traction – n. the power that is used to pull something

battery – n. a device that is placed inside and machine to supply it with electricity

range – n. the distance of something, from place to place

supplement – n. something that is added to something else in order to make it complete

recharged – v. to refill (a battery) with electricity

source – n. someone or something that provides what is needed

prototype – n. an original or first model of something from which other forms are copied or developed

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

3 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

4 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

5 prototype   

n.原型，典型，范例

参考例句：

• This is the prototype for future school buildings.这是未来的学校建筑的蓝本。
• He was the prototype of the elder statesman.他是老一辈政治家的典型。