Will electric pickup trucks get rural America to switch from gas to electric?

Will electric pickup¹ trucks get rural America to switch from gas to electric?

Transcript²

The electric Ford³ F-150 Lightning rolls off the assembly line this spring. But will rural Americans, who make up an important demographic for the company and the future of EVs, make the switch?

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The idea of buying an electric vehicle is gaining momentum⁴ around the country, but it's mostly about sedans and hatchbacks, and those aren't necessarily the most popular choice in rural America, where the pickup is king. The startup Rivian has been making plug-in trucks since September, and now the big automakers are entering the arena⁶. Ford's F-150 Lightning comes out this spring. Chevy and GMC also have their own electric trucks in the works. As Elizabeth Rembert of Nebraska Public Media reports, the electric pickup may be what helps rural America embrace more green vehicles.

ELIZABETH REMBERT, BYLINE⁷: Kent Urwiller drives a Tesla around rural Nebraska. He says it's a real conversation starter, especially for the crowd at the local convenience store, where trucks usually fill the parking lot.

KENT URWILLER: There was a bunch of old farmers in there, and one of them was like, I might think about getting one of those if I can get a pickup. And then another one was like, no way in hell i'm getting one of those. And I was like, it is really nice. And they asked me if I did it just to go green, and I'm like, no, I actually got it just because I wanted to try something different.

REMBERT: Urwiller himself is interested in the electric pickup. He's a Chevy enthusiast⁸, proud of his pristine⁹ 1984 Chevy Silverado. He's looking at the Ford e-truck to see if it would work for the fleet of pickups he has at his internet service company.

URWILLER: Our guys usually go, like, less than 150 miles a day. And we have a fuel barrel out here on our property, and we are filling it once every 8 to 10 days.

REMBERT: Getting away from gas is a big plus for rural drivers as fuel costs spike¹⁰. They quickly add up when you have to trek¹¹ long distances to grocery stores or schools. And Ford is trying to convince customers it has an electric vehicle that can handle life in the country. Ford claims its truck has a driving range of up to 320 miles and can tow 10,000 pounds. You can plug tools into it, and it can power a house for up to three days. Larry Lynch lives in Michigan and runs a YouTube account with videos about electric vehicles. He signed up for the truck and says he's been surprised by the buzz an electric pickup is generating among rural drivers.

LARRY LYNCH: I get half the people who are, like, just hardcore truck, rural truck guys who are just excited for this. I didn't think traditional truck people would be so interested as they are.

REMBERT: Brad Brodine farms in Nebraska and says technology has been good for agriculture. After all, he's now using huge, sophisticated tractors and harvesters after growing up watching his dad plow¹² behind a horse.

BRAD BRODINE: Farmers kind of sit back, and we want to make sure things are going to work because everything's expensive. We don't mind trying new things. You know, if we think it's going to work, we're pretty excited about it because innovation has been a good thing in agriculture.

REMBERT: John Murphy follows the auto⁵ industry for Bank of America and says rural drivers are key to EVs catching¹³ on. He says all of the electric truck options could bring a transformation¹⁴ to rural America.

JOHN MURPHY: Electric pickups may drive the real tipping point for electric vehicles, meaning your mainstream¹⁵ Midwestern truck buyer may join the forces of the Teslas on the coast to really start tipping the scale.

REMBERT: Wanda Young is a chief marketing¹⁶ officer at Ford. She says the automaker knew it needed to get the Lightning right for old-school drivers who identify so strongly with their trucks.

WANDA YOUNG: You cannot separate a farmer from their truck. You know, it's just like their favorite pair of jeans. We get to see so many of our customers who are coming in, and they're from all different kinds of vocations¹⁷, from plumbers¹⁸ to landscapers to electricians. And they are talking about how to make this transition to electric.

REMBERT: Even if rural drivers take their time before embracing electric, it does seem the demand for an electric truck may already be there. Ford has already increased its production capacity to meet demand, and about 75% of the people who signed up for the F-150 Lightning so far are new to Ford, suggesting they're not trading in their old gas F-150s just yet. For NPR News, I'm Elizabeth Rembert in Lincoln, Neb.

1 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

6 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

9 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

10 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

11 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

12 plow   

n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough

参考例句：

• At this time of the year farmers plow their fields.每年这个时候农民们都在耕地。
• We will plow the field soon after the last frost.最后一场霜过后，我们将马上耕田。

13 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

14 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

15 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

16 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

17 vocations   

n.（认为特别适合自己的）职业( vocation的名词复数 )；使命；神召；（认为某种工作或生活方式特别适合自己的）信心

参考例句：

• The term profession originally denoted a limited number of vocations. 专业这个术语起初表示数量有限的职业。 来自辞典例句
• I understood that Love encompassed all vocations, that Love was everything "." 我明白爱含有一切圣召，爱就是一切。 来自互联网

18 plumbers   

n.管子工，水暖工( plumber的名词复数 )；[美][口]（防止泄密的）堵漏人员

参考例句：

• Plumbers charge by the hour for their work. 水管工人的工作是以小时收费的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Plumbers, carpenters, and other workmen finished the new house quickly. 管道工、木工及其他工匠很快完成了这幢新房子。 来自辞典例句