来源：《卫报》
日期：2021年1月23日
In November, the UK government announced that a ban on new petrol car sales would be brought forward to 2030. Advances in battery technology mean the tipping point at which electric vehicles become cheaper than other types, without subsidies, could come within five years. Fast-charging electric car batteries are on the horizon, with five-minute “fill up” times in sight.
去年11月，英国政府宣布，对汽油车的销售禁令将提前至2030年。电池技术的进步意味着，在没有补贴的情况下，电动汽车比其他类型的汽车更便宜的临界点可能在五年内到来。能够快速充电的电动汽车电池即将问世，5分钟“充满”指日可待。
This is good news for the climate, with transport emissions one of the biggest obstacles to meeting reductions targets, nationally and globally. Also welcome for the UK is the announcement by Nissan that in future it will source 62 kilowatt-hour batteries for its popular Leaf model from the factory next door to its Sunderland car plant, instead of importing them from the US.
这对气候变化来说是个好消息，交通排放是实现英国和全球减排目标的最大障碍之一。对于英国来说，同样值得欢迎的是日产宣布，未来它将从其桑德兰厂区隔壁的工厂为其畅销的Leaf车型采购62千瓦时的电池，而不是从美国进口。
On vehicle emissions, there is some way to go. While last year saw a 43% rise in electric car sales, they made up just 4.2% of the total. So far, Norway is the only country where they are the most popular cars. SUVs have been the second largest cause of rising global emissions over the previous decade – and worryingly their sales continue to rise in Britain. Much work remains to be done to stop people choosing vehicles that are making the world’s biggest problem worse. Plans to limit emissions from heavy goods vehicles are also needed. With the freight industry facing severe disruption because of Brexit, new environmental goals are likely to meet resistance.
在汽车尾气排放方面，还有一段路要走。虽然去年电动汽车销量增长了43%，但其仅占汽车总销量的4.2%。到目前为止，挪威是唯一一个电动汽车最受欢迎的国家。在过去的十年里，越野车已经成为全球排放量上升的第二大原因，而且令人担忧的是，越野车在英国的销量还在继续增长。要阻止人们选择这种让气候变暖变得更糟的汽车，还有很多工作要做。此外，还需要制定计划，限制重型货车的排放。由于英国脱欧，货运行业面临严重破坏，新的环保目标可能会遇到阻力。
But with electric vehicles responsible for around 30% less carbon dioxide than fossil-fuel-powered cars in the UK (in France, where the electricity supply is cleaner, the figure is nearer 70%), the path to a greener transport future is becoming clearer. As with solar and wind energy, prices are falling faster than expected, and battery technology is an important part of the green investment strategy.
但在英国，电动汽车的二氧化碳排放量比化石燃料汽车低30%（在法国，电力供应更清洁，这一数字接近70%），通往更绿色交通未来的道路正越来越清晰。电池技术与太阳能和风能一样，价格下跌速度快于预期，是绿色投资战略的重要组成部分。
Electric cars do not eliminate the need for other affordable transport options, or for big reductions in overall road traffic, especially in cities. Battery disposal is a problem, as is the use of coal power in some manufacturing. But since cars are part of life, it is good that they are getting greener.
电动汽车并不能消除对其他价格合理的交通方式的需求，也不能大幅减少总体道路交通，尤其是城市道路交通。电池处理是一个问题，就像在一些制造业中使用煤电一样。但既然汽车是生活的一部分，汽车变得更环保是件好事。