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今天为大家带来一篇科技新闻。
The United States might be about to make a large change: Away from cars that need gas to electric cars.
美国可能要做出一项重大变动:从燃气汽车转为电动汽车。
However, biofuel companies and their supporters in Congress say no.
不过,一些生物燃料公司和国会的支持者对此并不支持。
They want to increase the sales of gasoline with biofuels added, not leave it behind.
他们希望提高汽油和生物燃料型汽车的销售量,而不是将这些种类的汽车抛诸脑后。
President Joe Biden has proposed a plan that includes billions of dollars to pay for 500,000 electric car power stations.
拜登总统提出了一个方案,其中包括数十亿美元用来建造50万个电动汽车发电站。
Money is also being spent to electrify public cars and repair the nation's electricity system.
也有部分资金投入到了公共车的电动化和国家电力系统的修复。
The plan seeks to copy moves in California and some other states to force the sale of electric cars.
该计划旨在效仿加州等州的做法,强制出售电动汽车。
General Motors recently announced it would make only electric cars by 2035.
近日,通用汽车宣布,2035年之前,其将仅制造电动汽车。
Yet any move from gasoline or biofuel cars to electric ones would happen slowly in the U.S.
但在美国,从汽油或生物燃料型汽车转到电动汽车的进程会很慢。
That is because there are currently 279 million non-electric cars.
这是因为目前由2.79亿非电动汽车。
Producers of biofuels says their products will be needed for a long time.
生物燃料型汽车的制造商们表示,他们的产品在很长一段时间里都会有需求。
The government's plan for electric cars comes as the U.S. works to reduce carbon emissions that are blamed for climate change.
美国政府对电动汽车做出规划之际,正值美国着力减少碳排放之时——碳排放是引起气候变化的一个原因。
The Environmental Protection Agency says cars on the road make up a large share of U.S. gas emissions from transportation.
美国国家环境保护局表示,路上汽车的碳排放占美国交通气体排放的很大一部分。
The U.S. also wants to compete in the worldwide electric car market.
美国也希望在全球电动汽车市场里分一杯羹。
LMC Automotive is a research company that follows the car industry.
汽车资讯公司LMC一直在关注汽车行业的形势。
It predicts that more than 1 million electric cars will be sold in the U.S. in 2023.
根据该公司的预测,2023年,美国将出售100多万电动汽车。
The company says that will rise to over 4 million by 2030.
该公司表示,这个数字在2030年之前会升至400多万。
But that is less than one fourth of normal yearly new car sales.
但这个数字要低于正常年度新车销售量的1/4。
Electric cars are now less than 2 percent of new sales.
电动汽车占新销售额的比例不到2%。
A recent study from Harvard and Tufts universities found that ethanol gives off 46 percent less carbon than gasoline.
哈佛和塔夫茨大学最近的一项研究表明,乙醇的碳排放量比汽油低46%。
Biofuel makers say it is important that the country has increased biofuel production.
生物燃料的制造商表示,提高生物燃料产量很重要。
Geoff Cooper is head of the Renewable Fuels Association in St. Louis.
杰夫·库珀是圣路易斯再生燃料协会的负责人。
He said using ethanol is an easy way to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change.
他表示,使用乙醇是减少碳排放和减缓气候变化的一个简单的方法。
Right now, normal gasoline is mixed with 10 percent ethanol.
目前,正常汽油都会掺10%的乙醇。
He wants that percentage changed to 15.
他希望这个比例能改为15%。
He said that it will take many years for gas-powered cars to disappear from American roads.
他表示,燃气汽车彻底在路上消失需要很多年的时间。
Why not take steps now to reduce the carbon intensity of those liquid fuels? Cooper said.
为什么不现在采取措施来减少这些液体燃料的碳强度呢?库珀如是说道。
Each year, U.S. refineries make more than 57 billion liters of ethanol and more than 5.7 billion liters of biodiesel.
每一年,美国的精炼厂都会生产570亿多升乙醇和57亿多升生物柴油。
Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop is used for ethanol and 30 percent of soybeans are used to make biodiesel.
美国近40%的玉米类作物都用于生产乙醇;30%的大豆都用于生产生物柴油了。
Iowa's two Republican U.S. senators consider the move to electric cars a threat to farmers, especially in Iowa.
爱荷华州的2名共和党参议员认为转为电动汽车的做法对农民们,尤其是爱荷华州的农民们来说,是一种威胁。
Senator Charles Grassley said last autumn that a plan by some democrats to end the sale of gas cars by 2035 would hurt Iowa.
去年秋天,参议员查克·格拉斯利表示,一些民主党议员的想要在2035年之前终止出售燃气汽车的计划会伤害到爱荷华州。
This...would absolutely destroy Iowa's economy
这种做法绝对有损爱荷华州的经济,
because it's so dependent on agriculture and agriculture is so dependent on biofuels, Grassley said.
因为这有赖于农业,而农业很依赖于生物燃料,格拉斯利如是说道。
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst argues that the $7,500 tax reductions for Americans buying electric cars
爱荷华州参议员乔妮·恩斯特表示,购买电动汽车所减的7500美元税款
usually go to rich people in eastern and western states.
通常都会进入西部和东部州富人们的腰包。
She says the tax credits are helping an industry that hurts farmers.
她表示,税收抵免所帮助的行业是对农民们有损害的。
I firmly believe Iowa taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill for millionaires to get a discount on luxury cars, Ernst says on her Senate website.
我坚信爱荷华州的纳税人不应该为百万富翁买豪华车的折扣买单,恩斯特在其参议院网站上如是说道。
Many farmers see the change to electric cars as a threat.
很多农民认为转为电动汽车的举动是一种威胁。
They do not believe state and federal officials will protect rural economies.
他们认为,州和联邦官员会保护农村经济。
It's like you're almost helpless, said Ed Wiederstein.
艾德·维德施泰因表示,农民基本上是无助的状态。
He is a partly-retired farmer near Audubon in western Iowa.
他是爱荷华州西部奥德班附近的一名半退休农民。
Over time, a move to electric vehicles likely will force farmers to plant other crops, said Chad Hart.
向电动汽车转型的做法会逐渐迫使农民们种植其他庄稼,查德·哈特如是说道。
He is an agriculture economist at Iowa State University.
他是爱荷华州立大学的一名农业经济学家。
Agriculture is always shifting the crop mix to fit whatever markets offer the best opportunity, he said.
农业种植的庄稼总是在迎合市场上机遇最好的方向,他如是说道。
I'm Susan Shand.
苏珊·尚德为您播报。
这里是 美国之音 频道