VOA慢速英语--特斯拉希望内华达州Gigafactory燃料汽车大卖

AS IT IS 2016-08-10 Tesla Hopes Nevada ‘Gigafactory’ Fuels Car Sales 特斯拉希望内华达州Gigafactory燃料汽车大卖

The American company Tesla Motors recently showed off a huge factory that will produce battery packs for its electric cars.

The $5 billion factory is close to Reno in the Nevada desert. The facility is currently¹ about 14 percent completed, but its robots are already getting ready to manufacture batteries.

When finished, the facility will be one of the largest in the world, covering more than one square kilometer.

Massive² production

Tesla officials expect the factory to manufacture tens of thousands of lithium-ion batteries a year. The company is calling the new facility a “Gigafactory.” The term giga is a unit of measurement representing one billion.

Officials say the Gigafactory will produce 35 gigawatt hours of lithium-ion batteries by 2018. That capacity would be more than the whole world’s production in 2014.

Tesla Motors is trying to lower the cost of electric car batteries by mass producing them in Nevada. Up until now, the company has turned to foreign companies for lithium-ion batteries.

Partners with Panasonic

Japan’s Panasonic Corporation has invested $1.6 billion in the factory and will continue partnering with Tesla on production there.

Tesla chief Elon Musk³ said the Gigafactory will cut battery production costs by more than 30 percent by 2018. The factory could employ up to 10,000 people in coming years, he said.

Tesla has yet to make a profit from its electric car business. This is mainly because its vehicles and batteries cost a lot to manufacture. Prices for the company’s best-selling Model S sedan start at around $70,000.

Earlier this year, Tesla began offering its new Model 3 sedan, with a starting price of $35,000. More than 325,000 people put down a $1,000 deposit⁴ and placed an order for the car last March within one week of the announcement. The Model 3 will be the company’s least expensive vehicle, mainly because of lower battery costs.

The first Model 3 cars could be ready as soon as next year. But it is expected to take at least six years for Tesla to complete all the orders. The company says it plans to be producing 500,000 vehicles per year by 2018.

The Nevada factory will also make Tesla batteries for electric trucks and buses, as well as backup power supplies for homes and businesses.

Musk said Tesla’s overall goal is to “accelerate the advent⁵ of sustainable energy. So we’re going to take a set of actions that we think are the most likely to achieve that.”

Solar friendly

In keeping with the environmentally friendly theme, the top of Tesla’s Gigafactory will be covered with solar panels⁶. This will provide most, if not all, of the facility’s electricity needs.

And just in case the factory has to grow even bigger, Tesla has purchased another 7.5 square kilometers of land nearby.

Words in This Story

battery – n. power source placed inside a car or other device to supply it with electricity

capacity – n. the amount something can produce

deposit – n. money paid in advance to hold an item for purchase

expensive – adj. costing a lot of money

advent – n. the arrival of a notable⁷ person or event

sustainable energy – n. energy that comes from natural sources capable of being replenished

1 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

2 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

3 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

4 deposit   

n.定金，存款，矿藏；vt.使沉淀，寄存，储蓄

参考例句：

• There is too much deposit in a bottle of wine.酒瓶里有太多的沉淀物。
• The hotel requires a deposit for all advance bookings.旅馆规定凡预订房间都要先付订金。

5 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

6 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

7 notable   

adj.值得注意的，著名的；n.名人，要人

参考例句：

• His achievement is very notable.他的成就是非常显著的。
• He wrote and published the essay under notable's name.他假托名人写文章发表。