北京将有更多电动出租车上路

As part of the Chinese government’s initiatives to improve air quality, the Beijing municipal government is set to add 100 electric taxis this year to its existing fleet of 50. The scheme has been in operation since as early as March 2010.
作为中国政府改善空气质量行动的一部分，北京市政府今年准备在现有的50辆电动出租车的基础上再增加100辆。该计划早在2010年3月就开始运行。

Wang Lijun is a taxi driver in Yanqing County of Beijing. He is one of the fifty drivers equipped with electric cars in the county’s pilot trial. The program, the largest of its kind in Northern China, was launched in March.
Wang Lijun是北京延庆县的出租车司机。他是该县试点项目中配备电动出租车的50名司机之一。这个项目是中国北方此类项目中最大型的一个，三月份开始进行。

Wang Lijun said, "I’ve been driving the electric taxi for more than half a year now. The experience is pleasant. The vehicle is actually easier to control than normal cars because you don’t have to change gears while driving."
Wang Lijun称：“到现在，我开电动出租车已经开了半年多了。这种体验很美好。这种车实际上比普通汽车更容易操作，因为你在开的时候无需换挡。”

The taxi, produced by Foton Motors, is powered by electricity rather than gasoline, so there are no emissions and it does not need tailpipes. To attract more passengers, the starting price for each ride is set at 5 yuan, half the price of a traditional taxi.
福田汽车生产的这种出租车是用电来发动的，而不是汽油，所以是零排放，不需要排气管。为了吸引更多乘客，每次乘坐的起步价设为5元，是传统出租车价格的一半。

A local passenger said, "The electric taxis are cheaper. I feel quieter and more comfortable than taking normal cars. And it is environmentally friendly.
当地乘客表示：“乘坐电动出租车更便宜。我觉得比乘普通汽车更安静、更舒适。而且它是环保的。”

Beijing expects to increase the number of electric taxies in Yanqing to 150 units by May this year, and even to launch similar programs in other suburban counties. Meanwhile, to encourage personal buyers, a series of favorable policies have been published. In Beijing, electric car owners can skip the current purchase restriction and get a number plate straight away. And they will also receive subsidies from the central government.
预计到今年5月份，北京将为延庆增加150辆电动出租车，甚至将在其它郊区县开展类似的项目。同时，为了鼓励私人购买者，一系列优惠政策出台了。在北京，电动汽车车主可以跳过现行的购买限制，马上就能获得一个车牌。他们还能获得中央政府的补贴。

Zhao Jingguang, party secretary of Foton Motors, said, "The government is providing great support on new energy vehicles including subsidies and other benefiting policies. The industry is still at a starting stage, so the support is important and will continue."
福田汽车党委书记Zhao Jingguang称：“政府为新能源车提供了巨大的支持，包括补贴和其它福利政策。这个产业还处于起步阶段，所以扶持是很重要，而且将持续下去。”

However, there are still challenges to overcome before electric cars can attract more enthusiasts. Most manufacturers are facing technology difficulties. For example, it takes around eight hours for Foton’s electric taxi to be fully charged, but it can only travel 150 kilometers at most in the summer and even shorter distances in the winter before the battery runs out.
然而，在电动汽车能吸引更多热衷者之前，还有挑战要克服。许多生产商面临技术难题。例如，福田电动出租车充满电大约要花8个小时，但是在夏天，它在电池耗光之前最多只能走150公里，冬天走的路程甚至更短。

Currently there is only one charging station in Yanqing. So the electric taxis can only operate within a very small area. Although large cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have all made ambitious plans to build more charging stations, there has to be a complete network of charging facilities throughout China so that electric vehicles can replace traditional cars for private users.
目前，延庆只有一个充电站。所以电动出租车只能在很小的地区内运行。尽管北京、上海、深圳这样的大城市都制定了雄心勃勃的计划来建设更多充电站，但是，全中国必须有一个完整的充电设施网络，以便私人用户的电动汽车可以取代传统的汽车。