VOA标准英语2016--乌干达首次推出太阳能汽车

Uganda Unveils its First Solar-powered Bus 乌干达首次推出太阳能汽车

KAMPALA—

A solar-powered bus described by its Ugandan makers¹ as the first in Africa has made its public debut³. Kiira Motors' electric bus was displayed recently at a stadium in Uganda's capital.

Kayoola is the brand name for the new bus, which is powered by solar panels on its roof. 

It seats 35 passengers and its maker² hopes the Kayoola will become the first public bus in Africa to be powered by the sun.

The engines of these electrically-powered buses are completely silent, said Mario Obuwa, the chief engineer of the project.

“This bus, there’s actually no engine. What is driving the bus is a motor, a traction⁴ motor, which is being run by a battery and the battery banks are the ones that are linked to the solar system that’s on the roof. So we have the battery that is driving the motor and that gives us a full range of 80 kilometers on full charge. And then the solar panels come to supplement the extra mileage⁵ so it adds an extra kilometer to the total,” said Obuwa.

The Kayoola bus can be recharged using solar power or connected to an electric power source. Best of all, it does not emit harmful CO2 into the atmosphere.

“The systems are fully⁶ run on green energy so things to do [with] polluting the environment which ultimately will affect us /// and that’s the reason why you would work on such a products because in the future we’re looking at sustainable and green energy,” said Obuwa.

This solar-powered bus also helps save money on petrol by relying 100% on abundant, renewable sunlight.

Moses Kalule Waswa, chief engineer of the technical team for the Kayoola bus, said the solar bus is as powerful as any other.

“The difference between this Kayoola bus, the solar bus and these other buses is that they are the ones that are using fuel. This one is using batteries. But as you are driving when you are accelerating, you can tell that it’s powerful like these other buses,” said Waswa.

Ugandan authorities say the Kayoola bus can help solve Kampala's traffic jams.

“The more options we [have], we believe that it will help a lot in the issue of congestion,” said one official.

The price of the prototype bus is estimated at more than $140,000. If this model can be mass produced, the price will drop and it will sell for around $55,000 each. However, before the Kayoola bus is out on Ugandan roads customers have to be patient. There hasn’t been an official date set for its release.

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

5 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。