经济学人：油价冲刺10元代”，开电车成终极赢家

作者：经济学人        来源：一天一篇外刊

A LINE OF electric vehicles (EVs) plugged into rechargers as their drivers wait patiently for their batteries to be topped up has become a familiar sight at many service stations. Though some of the latest EVs can recharge in 20 minutes, many take much longer. Yet some EV drivers could soon be back on the road much more quickly. Companies are developing ultra-fast charging systems which can refill a battery almost as fast as a fossil-fuel car can be filled up. Rapid recharging could dispel one of the last remaining obstacles to widespread EV adoption.

如今，在许多服务站，电动车排队充电、车主干等，早已司空见惯。虽然一些新款电动车20分钟就能充好电，但很多车型充电仍需更长时间。不过，这种情况可能很快就会改观。一些企业正在研发超充系统，充电速度几乎能赶上燃油车加油。更快的充电体验有望消除电动车普及的最大障碍

One such system will be unveiled in Paris on April 8th by BYD, a Chinese firm that is the world’s biggest EV maker. It consists of a powerful 1,500kW drive-through charger, which looks like a large overhead gantry from which recharging cables descend. When plugged into a Denza Z9GT, BYD’s new premium model, the car’s 122kWh “Blade Battery” can be boosted from 10% capacity to 70% in five minutes. A full charge takes nine minutes.

4月8日，比亚迪在巴黎发便布了一套超充系统。作为全球最大的电动车制造商，这家中国车企此次推出的，是一台功率高达1500千瓦的穿行式充电设备，外形像大型门架，充电线从上方垂下。如果给比亚迪新推出的高端车型腾势 Z9GT 充电，这套系统可在5分钟内将其122千瓦时“刀片电池”的电量从10%提升至70%，充满只要9分钟。

Topping up an EV battery requires a charger to convert alternating current, as delivered from the mains, into a direct current. A charger contained in the cars themselves can handle slow overnight charging when plugged into a household supply. For faster top-ups, beefier kit is required. This is contained in public fast-chargers, which convert power directly from the grid.

电动车充电，首先要靠充电器把电网输送来的交流电转换成直流电。车内自带的充电装置，在接入家用电源后，足以应对夜间慢充。可要想更快充电，就得用功率更大的设备了。这类设备装在公共快充桩里，能够直接把电网电力转换后输送给车辆。

These increases in speed come with a cost. One consequence of fast charging is that the added strain on batteries can lead them to lose their capacity more quickly than with regular charging. Engineers are also getting on top of that problem. Sai Shivareddy, Nyobolt’s boss and co-founder, says its batteries have been tested over more than 4,000 fast-charging cycles, equivalent to a car travelling around one million kilometres, while retaining more than 80% of their capacity. BYD says its battery will also have enhanced durability. The opportunity to relax with a coffee or take a nap while your EV recharges may soon be a thing of the past.?

充电更快，代价也随之而来。快充带来的一个问题是，电池承受的压力更大，电池衰减往往比常规充电更快。不过，工程师们也在设法解决这一问题。Nyobolt首席执行官兼联合创始人赛·希瓦雷迪表示，该公司的电池已完成4000多次快充测试，折合下来，相当于车辆行驶约100万公里后，仍能保持80%以上的电池容量。比亚迪也表示，电池的耐久性同样有所提升。照这样发展下去，电动车充电时顺便喝杯咖啡、打个盹，很快就会成为历史。

作者：经济学人        来源：一天一篇外刊