VOA标准英语2011--'Revenge of Electric Car' Takes a Wild Ride

'Revenge of Electric Car' Takes a Wild Ride

 

In his 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car, filmmaker Chris Paine examined the birth and premature¹ death of battery electric cars in the mid-1990s.

Now Paine is back with the commercial release of Revenge of the Electric Car, an insider’s view of an historic shift in the automotive industry, filmed behind closed doors between 2007 and 2010.

The movie profiles four executives who take their companies in new directions during a time of economic recession and government bailout of the auto² industry. Paine gains their trust, promising³ not to release the film until 2011. “We tracked some really amazing characters quite happy to throw it all on the line.”

Paine follows General Motors Vice⁴ Chairman Bob Lutz as he pushes his ailing⁵ firm to build an electric car, a program the company had killed in the 1990s.

“This guy is Mr. Detroit. I think he had some kind of epiphany," says Paine. "He says, ‘I want my last project to be maybe for a higher good. And I also want it to be a damned good car.’”

When GM's electric vehicle program was killed in the 1990s, the vehicles were crushed in the Nevada desert.

In the film, Lutz explains why he gives a green light to GM’s electric car, the Chevy Volt⁶. “We were discussing how Toyota was running away with the technological⁷ image and the environmental image and so forth⁸ and I said, 'Why don’t we at least do an electric prototype?'”

GM brought the Volt to market in December 2010. A month later the Volt was honored as ‘Car of the Year’ at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Tesla roadster is also on the Detroit showroom floor. Dot.com billionaire and start-up entrepreneur Elon Musk⁹ gambles his fortune on the electric sports car.

He says the company plans to put thousands like it on the road. “Beyond that, really what matters is, are we making a difference in the world? And for us to make a difference in the world, we have to build a lot of cars. And, until we see every car on the road being an electric, we will not stop. This is just the beginning of the beginning.”

Paine weaves another risk taker, Renault-Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn into the story. “This guy is such a die-hard capitalist. He is not going to do anything if there isn’t a mathematical equation at the end of it that’s going to be good for his company. He decided¹⁰ to put $6 billion in the electric car.”

Telsa Motors roadster, the first electric sports car, was saved from bankruptcy11 by a government loan.

The car is the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric mass market vehicle with a 160-kilometer range. Ghosn predicts a huge return. “It’s going to change the face of the company. It’s going to change the face of the brand and it’s going to change, probably, even the image of our industry.”

Besides getting to know such industry titans, Paine introduces his next door neighbor, Greg “Gadget¹²” Abbot. “For as long as I’ve known him, he’s been converting electric cars. And there are a lot of people doing this, not just Gadget, but lots of people like him. So I thought let’s include someone who is not waiting around for major car companies to do this.”

Revenge of the Electric Car isn’t just a movie about auto-industry CEOs and engineers. It’s also about the electric cars themselves, and the budding consumer interest in them.

Ray Wirt, editor-in-chief of the automotive blog, Jalopnik, appears in the film. At a festival screening, Wirt told the audience that car enthusiasts¹³ can also love electric cars.

Filmmaker Chris Paine's crew films the General Motors Chevy Volt production line.

“I think that so often we talk about fun cars and we think Mustang. We think Corvette. We think Porsche. How much cooler would it be if you didn’t have to worry about filling it up with gas? That would be a real cool car.”

After viewing Revenge of the Electric Car, Dave Simison from Annapolis, Maryland says electric cars make sense. The 25,000 dollar price tag doesn’t bother him. “Well, that’s kind of in the range because you are going to save money on gas.”

His wife, Betsy Heney agrees. “I’ll tell you what it will take. My husband just has to get in the car and he will buy it. I guarantee you.”

Filmmaker Paine’s Revenge of the Electric Car suggests that early adopters like these are helping¹⁴ to write the next chapter in automotive history - a post-gasoline era that could be good news for business, consumers, and the environment.

1 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

2 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。

3 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

6 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

7 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

8 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

9 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

12 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

13 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

14 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。