近年来，由于节能减排的需要，电动汽车发展很快。有些企业在研究如何利用太阳能来给汽车充电，虽然太阳能无法取代充电桩，但是太阳能汽车无疑更加节能环保。
A partly solar powered car
by Peter Valdes-Dapena
The Lightyear One is a car with solar panels stretching across its roof to charge the electric vehicle's batteries. But whether it's really a "solar powered car" depends on how you drive it.
solar /ˈsəʊlə(r)/ adj. 太阳的、太阳能的
panel /ˈpæn(ə)l/ n. 面板
stretch /stretʃ/ v. 延伸
charge /tʃɑːdʒ/ v./n. 充电
vehicle /ˈviːɪk(ə)l/ n. 车辆
power /ˈpaʊə(r)/ v. 提供动力、驱动
depend on 依靠、取决于
The car, created by Dutch startup Lightyear, has a charging port to plug into a charger. But the solar panels can charge the Lightyear One's batteries at a rate of about 12 kilometers of charge every hour. That's slow compared to plugging it in. Still, if you parked it outside your office on a sunny day, it could soak up enough power to drive 100 kilometers, which is more than most people drive on a typical day.
Dutch /dʌtʃ/ adj. 荷兰的
startup /ˈstɑːtʌp/ n. 初创公司（由start和up组成）
port /pɔːt/ n. 端口（charging port就是充电口）
charger /ˈtʃɑːdʒə(r)/ n. 充电器、充电桩（由charge加上表示人或物的后缀-er）
rate /reɪt/ n. 速率
still /stɪl/ adv. 尽管如此
soak /səʊk/ up 吸收、吸取
"In the summer in the Netherlands, you probably won't have to charge for about two months," said Lightyear CEO Lex Hoefsloot, "and that's with average driving."
the Netherlands /ˈneðələndz/ 荷兰（西欧国家）
The batteries hold enough energy for 720 kilometers of driving, the company says. The solar panels will work even when the car is moving, meaning that as you're going down the highway – assuming you're traveling in the daytime – the sun's energy will replenish at least some of the power you're using.
down /daʊn/ prep. 沿着
highway /ˈhaɪweɪ/ n. 干线公路、高速公路
assume /əˈsjuːm/ v. 假定、假设
daytime /ˈdeɪtaɪm/ n. 白天（由day和time组成）
replenish /rɪˈplenɪʃ/ v. 补充、再次装满
The car's five square meters of solar panels are very efficient at converting sunlight to energy, the company claims. They're covered in the same sort of glass used in sunroofs, so the panels are very strong and in a crash won't break into sharp pieces.
square meter 平方米
efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 高效的、效果好的
convert /kənˈvɜːt/ v. 转换、变换
sunlight /ˈsʌnlaɪt/ n. 太阳光（由sun和light组成）
claim /kleɪm/ v. 声称
sunroof /ˈsʌnruːf/ n. 汽车天窗
The major advances in the car have to do with its overall efficiency, said Hoefsloot. With its low, sloping shape and covered rear wheels, the car is designed to be extraordinarily aerodynamic（流线型的）. Each wheel is powered by its own electric motor. Placing the motors as close as possible to the wheels increases efficiency and, since the motors act as generators to recapture energy during braking, four-wheel-drive electric cars are more efficient than two-wheel-drive ones.
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的
advance /ədˈvɑːns/ n. 进步
have to do with something 跟某事有关
overall /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːl/ adj. 总体的
efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/ n. 效率
slope /sləʊp/ v. 倾斜
rear /rɪə(r)/ adj. 后面的、后部的
extraordinarily /ɪkˈstrɔːdɪn(ə)r(ə)li/ adv. 格外地、不寻常地（由extraordinary加后缀-ly变成副词）
motor /ˈməʊtə(r)/ n. 电动机
act as 充当、做为
generator /ˈdʒen(ə)reɪtə(r)/ n. 发电机（由generate加上表示人或物的后缀-or）
recapture /ˌriːˈkæptʃə(r)/ v. 重新捕获、收回（由capture加上表示重复的前缀re-）
brake /breɪk/ v. 刹车
four-wheel-drive 四轮驱动的
One of the advantages of using the sun for supplemental power, said Hoefsloot, will be ease of parking. While other electric car drivers are battling to get spaces near electric chargers and others are looking for a spot in the shade, Lightyear One drivers will happily park in the sunny spaces. The car's air conditioner can be turned on remotely before it's time to start driving so that it's comfortable inside.
supplemental /ˌsʌplɪˈment(ə)l/ adj. 补充的（由supplement加后缀-al变成形容词）
battle /ˈbæt(ə)l/ v. 争斗、争抢
spot /spɒt/ n. 地点
air conditioner /kənˈdɪʃənər/ 空调器
remotely /rɪˈməʊtli/ adv. 远程地（由remote加后缀-ly变成副词）
Driving on sun power won't be cheap, though. For now, there are only a few prototypes for demonstration and testing, Hoefsloot said. The company is taking reservations now at a cost of €119,000, or roughly $127,000. That's just a "reservation fee." The company expects the cars to cost about €150,000 in the Netherlands, including taxes, when it goes into production in 2021.
prototype /ˈprəʊtətaɪp/ n. 原型
demonstration /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 演示、展示（由demonstrate加后缀-ion变成名词）
reservation /ˌrezəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 预订（由reserve加后缀-ation变成名词）
roughly /ˈrʌfli/ adv. 大约
production /prəˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ n. 生产
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