VOA标准英语2009-South Korea Steers Toward Electric Auto Future

Former U.S. President Clinton and mayors from around the world are gathering¹ in Seoul this week for a summit on reducing greenhouse gases in the world's cities. London Mayor Boris Johnson says the leaders hope to agree on ways to end the world's "endless addiction² to the internal combustion³ engine." South Korean scientists are proposing a "middle of the road" solution.
　
Former US President Bill Clinton delivers a speech at C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in Seoul, 19 May 2009

At South Korea's leading technology university, the electric car of the future does not require a pit stop to charge or change batteries - because it draws its power right from the road itself.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, headquartered in Daejeon, about 150 kilometers from Seoul, is working on a vehicle it calls "OLEV." That stands for Online Electric Vehicle.

At this point, it looks like a souped up golf cart. But engineering professor Cho Dong-ho, the manager of the OLEV program, says some revolutionary technology is on board.

"This model [has] a power supply system installed under the ground," said Cho.

An experimental track at KAIST features power cables buried under a strip in the road, over which the car passes. Magnetic receivers on the bottom of the car siphon power over the airwaves, with no physical connection, recharging the battery. The power charging strips are designed to be installed at intersections⁴ and other places where traffic slows down naturally, so vehicles can derive⁵ the maximum charge.

Professor Cho says the technology will have big benefits - but will take some time to implement⁶.

He says widespread use of the technology will automatically solve many of Korea's environmental and fuel scarcity⁷ problems. The key challenge, he says, will be building a reliable and extensive infrastructure⁸.

He says if current trials are successful, a field trial is planned in the South Korean capital. After that, other local cities will get a chance to adopt the online electric vehicle.

One of the key attractions of the model is that it eliminates the need for countless⁹ individual charging stations for each vehicle, or the need to swap¹⁰ out batteries on a continual basis. Instead, the online road strips are connected to larger charging stations, which South Korea intends to charge mainly through nuclear plants.

Cho says the online vehicle is a cost-effective solution for mass transit¹¹ planners.

He says the main competitors of this electric vehicle are electric subways and trams. However, establishing subways costs about $10 million a kilometer, and about $5 million per kilometer for a tram line. By contrast, he says online electric vehicle power strips will cost only about $400,000 per kilometer.

Cho says the technology has proven safe to use around people and machinery¹² in all experiments so far. Future power strips will be designed big enough for use by large buses at first, then by smaller online electric cars later on. Each of the vehicles are designed to be able to switch to "battery mode," so they can depart from the charging strips and drive anywhere at all for a limited period of time.

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

3 combustion   

n.燃烧；氧化；骚动

参考例句：

• We might be tempted to think of combustion.我们也许会联想到氧化。
• The smoke formed by their combustion is negligible.由它燃烧所生成的烟是可忽略的。

4 intersections   

n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集

参考例句：

• Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
• Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句

5 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

6 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

7 scarcity   

n.缺乏，不足，萧条

参考例句：

• The scarcity of skilled workers is worrying the government.熟练工人的缺乏困扰着政府。
• The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought.水果供不应求是由于干旱造成的。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

10 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

11 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

12 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。