经济学人下载:电动汽车 充电进入美国

Business
商业报道

Electric cars
电动汽车

Charging into America
充电进入美国

Chinese firms are keen on America's battery-vehicle market
中国公司致力于美国电动车公司市场

TESLA, an American electric-car manufacturer, is the darling of investors and the most visible success in a business more notable for its failures.
美国电动车制造商TESLA是投资者们的宠儿，相比较该行业的失败之处，它也是最显著的成功。

The praise it has attracted is encouraging Chinese firms to try to enter the American market.
它所赢得的赞赏激励中国公司试图进入美国市场。

A Hong Kong company and a mainland firm are battling for control of Fisker, a failed maker of hybrid-electric cars based in California; a court hearing due on January 10th will consider creditors' calls for an open auction.
一家香港公司和大陆公司正在为Fisker的管理控制权而争夺不休。Fisker是加利福尼亚一家倒闭的混合动力汽车制造商。1月10日的庭审将考虑债权人所要求的公开拍卖。

And BYD, another Chinese mainland firm, said this week it would start selling its own electric cars in America next year.
另一家中国公司BYD本周表示明年起将在美国出售自己的电动车。

In 2009, when America's Department of Energy agreed to give Fisker a big green energy loan to start production of its sleek Karma sports car, it looked like posing a serious threat to Tesla.
2009年，美国能源部门同意给予Fisker一笔巨大的绿色能源贷款生产其Karma跑车，这对于Tesla似乎是一种严重的威胁。

But Fisker was brought down by quality problems, poor management and the financial difficulties of A123, its battery supplier.
但是Fisker却因为质量问题、糟糕的管理、A123的财政问题及其电池供应商的问题倒闭了。

Production of the Karma ceased in late 2012 and, last November, Fisker followed A123 into bankruptcy.
Karma跑车在2012年底停产了，去年11月，Fisker继A123之后破产。

Hybrid Tech Holdings, controlled by Richard Li—a son of Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's richest tycoon—bought the DOE's loan to Fisker at a big discount and is now seeking to use its influence as a creditor to win control of the collapsed firm.
香港首富李嘉诚的儿子李泽恺的混合动力科技股份有限公司以极其优惠的价格支付了美国能源部门给Fisker的贷款，现在他正利用自己债权人的身份影响寻觅机会赢得该倒闭公司的控制权。

Fisker's managers support Mr Li's bid.
Fisker的经理支持李泽恺的投标。

But many of the company's unsecured creditors prefer the rival takeover proposal, from Wanxiang, a giant Chinese maker of car parts which aspires to go big into electric cars.
但是许多该公司的无担保债权人更偏向于其竞争对手，另一家打算强势打入电动车市场的汽车部件制造大亨万向集团来接管。

It has already bought A123 and plans to revive production of the Karma, assembling it in America rather than, as before, in Finland.
该公司已经收购了A123并打算重新生产Karma跑车，这次打算在美国装配，而不是之前的芬兰。

For all the excitement about Tesla, battery cars have in general been selling like pork pies at a vegetarians' convention.
所有关于Tesla的兴奋，电动车普遍被看作素食者公约买卖的猪肉派。

Yet this is deterring neither Fisker's rival bidders nor BYD, which has Warren Buffett as a shareholder.
然而这既没有阻断Fisker的竞争投标人也没有让Warren Buffett的股东BYD止步。

BYD has already persuaded Los Angeles to accept a handful of its expensive electric buses, but getting motorists to buy pricey battery cars from a firm they have not heard of will be quite a challenge.
BYD已经说服洛杉矶购买其少量的昂贵电动公交车。但是要让司机们购买他们从未耳闻的昂贵的电动车似乎很困难。

Neither BYD nor any other Chinese firm has yet produced an electric car of anything like the quality of Tesla's Model S, which motoring pundits have showered with plaudits.
无论是BYD还是中国任何一家其他公司能制造出与Tesla S 型电动车质量相仿的电动车，该电动车赢得许多汽车专家的喝彩。

Even in China, where big subsidies and other inducements are on offer, buyers have spurned their clunkers.
即使在中国这样有着大型津贴和其他诱因供应的地方，买家也会摒弃其废旧的汽车。