環(huán)球英語 — 459：The Future of Cars
Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Cars. There are around 700 million of them on the planet. And every year around 50 million new cars are produced. Almost all of them are powered by oil. Most use petrol, that is — gasoline, some use diesel. But experts say this needs to change. They are worried that there could soon not be enough oil in the world. Also, environmental experts think that the large amount of cars is helping to cause climate change. So, does something need to change? Today’s Spotlight looks at the future of the car.
Voice 2
October the first 1908 marked a key event in the history of car production. It was the first day that people could buy the Model T Ford. The Model T Ford was the first car to be produced in huge numbers. And, it was extremely popular. Now, one hundred years later, cars could soon face a new key event. Oil could soon be replaced by a new kind of fuel. But what fuel will that be? How will the cars of tomorrow be powered?
Voice 1
Currently no one knows the answer to that question. One of the most popular ideas is to use hydrogen fuel cells. These use hydrogen gas that is stored in the car. This mixes with oxygen to create electric power. One car company working on a hydrogen fuel cell car is Honda, in Japan. Honda claims:
Voice 3
‘Vehicles that use hydrogen with fuel cell technology are the cleanest around. This is because they release only water into the air. These cars simply do not pollute.’
Voice 2
However, hydrogen powered cars are not as perfect a solution as some people think. Burning hydrogen is friendly to the environment, but making hydrogen is not. You put much more energy into making hydrogen than the car can get out of it. This is one reason why making hydrogen is costly. Another problem is how people would refuel their cars. Petrol stations would have to provide new hydrogen tanks and pumps. This could cost thousands of millions of dollars.
Voice 1
Another way to power cars is through storing electricity in batteries. This may seem like a new idea, but it is not. One hundred years ago, many cars were powered by electricity. But then cars powered by oil became much more popular. This was because electric cars were slower and could not travel as far.
Voice 2
Electric cars carry batteries to store the electricity. One advantage of this is that people can repower them at home. However, they cannot go as far as normal cars before they need re—powering, and the batteries are heavy. But a number of car companies believe there is a future for electric cars. One of these companies is Phoenix Motorcars. Their chief engineer is W. Jeff Ulrich. He says,
Voice 4
‘I believe it is possible to make and sell a fully-working electric vehicle. My goal at Phoenix Motorcars is this: to provide an electric vehicle that is every bit as useful and fun to drive as any current vehicle.’
Voice 1
You could say that electric cars do not produce gases that harm the environment. But the power stations that produce the electricity often do damage the environment. In the future, electricity could be created through cleaner methods. At that time, electric vehicles could have a more real advantage than they do now.
Voice 2
Biodiesel is another possible fuel for the cars of the future. Biodiesel is made from crops that can be made into fuel. The National Biodiesel Board is an American organisation. It encourages the use of biodiesel for fuel. It says:
Voice 5
‘Biodiesel can be used in many normal engines with few or no changes. It is simple to use... and non-poisonous.’
Voice 1
But people are now saying that there are different problems with biodiesel. Another Spotlight programme described these problems. The programme was called ‘Biofuels: Growing Trouble?’. It describes how growing crops for fuel is not always good. Sometimes they do more damage to the environment than good. Many experts are also worried about crops being used for fuel instead of food. They think it is making food cost more.
Voice 2
It is clear that there are no easy solutions to the problem of powering cars. At present, the best way seems to be a compromise between the different ideas. Cars can use different kinds of power at the same time. Such cars are called hybrid cars. One of the first hybrid cars was the Toyota Prius. The heads of the Toyota car company think that hybrid cars could be the future. The Japanese car company says:
Voice 6
‘One of the problems of building more environmentally friendly cars is the demands of the people that buy them. They want it to be more environmentally friendly — but they do not want the cars to lose anything. They still want to keep the quality, the power and the price of the car... This is something that we have managed to do.’
Voice 1
Hybrid cars could be far more popular in the future. They use two or more kinds of power. This normally involves electricity and a kind of fuel, normally petrol. Hybrid cars bring together the best qualities of different kinds of power. But they are still not a perfect solution. They still require the use of oil. And tests have shown that they do not always use less fuel than some more normal cars.
Voice 2
So the arguments will continue over how best to power cars in the future. But is there another, simpler solution? A solution that would be much better for the environment than all other suggestions?
Voice 1
The World Carfree Network is an international organisation. Its members think people depend on their cars too much. They encourage person-power. They want people to walk and ride bicycles more often. Members of the World Carfree Network also think people should use public transport more often. Every year the organisation has a special day to encourage people to use their car less - September 22nd. They call this day World Car Free Day. They hope that on this day people will not use their cars.
Voice 2
The future of cars remains unclear. No one knows how they will change over the next century. Will people still use cars in a hundred years time? How will they be powered? Our environment could depend on people finding the right answers.
Voice 1
The writer and producer of today’s programme was Steve Myersco. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotations were adapted and voiced by Spotlight.
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