VOA新闻杂志2022--肌肉车能电动吗？

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What Will Happen to the American ‘Muscle Car?’

American "muscle cars" got their name because of their big, powerful engines and fast speed.

Some of the gas-powered cars are so noisy, the Associated Press recently described them as "thundering."

But interest worldwide in electric cars brings up this question: Can a muscle car go electric?

The carmaker Stellantis makes the Dodge¹ Challenger and Charger—two well-known muscle cars. General Motors makes the popular Chevrolet Corvette. Both companies are wondering if they can keep the interest of buyers who love traditional, gas-powered cars.

Car fans who loved the classic, powerful cars that used a lot of fuel are called "gearheads."

The new battery-powered cars are quicker than the old gas-powered cars that sold themselves based on "horsepower." Horsepower is a term used to talk about the power created by an engine. For years, high horsepower signaled "high performance."

While the new cars go fast and are easier to control than cars with big engines, they do not make much noise. Will the gearheads someday become battery-heads?

Stellantis hopes so. The company, which is half American and half Italian, will stop making gas-powered versions of the Challenger, Charger and its larger Chrysler 300 by the end of 2023.

Other automakers are in the process of doing the same thing.

Many European automakers already have electric versions of their high-performance cars. They include Porsche, Audi and Mercedes.

General Motors said it will soon make an electric Corvette. Polestar is an electric vehicle company started by the owners of Volvo. Polestar says a roadster – or small, fun car – is coming soon.

Governments around the world are requiring cars to create less pollution. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also recently put in place new rules.

As a result, car makers² are starting to center their production on electric cars. Some car factories are being updated so they can make electric vehicles. Other producers are building new factories.

Tim Kuniskis leads the Dodge division for Stellantis. "It's tough," he said when discussing the idea that governments are considering financial punishments, known as fines, for companies that do not meet new requirements to reduce fuel use.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, said Stellantis' cars use the most fuel and have the worst effect on the environment. Some of the cars, such as one version of the Charger with a big engine called the Hemi Hellcat, travel only about five kilometers on a liter of fuel.

New rules put in place by the EPA say all of a company's new car models must be much more fuel efficient by 2026 than they are now.

Sam Abuelsamid is a researcher for Guidehouse Insights³. He said some carmakers will keep making models with traditional engines, known as internal combustion⁴ engines, for about 10 years.

Dodge is working to improve its cars' use of fuel but also keep the gearheads interested. The new cars will make noise like the old ones even if they are using batteries.

A recent demonstration⁵ by Dodge showed off a Charger that made noise just like a muscle car.

Kuniskis, however, is a critic of his own company's new car. "It doesn't have the emotion," he said, speaking of the electric cars. "It doesn't have the drama. It doesn't have the dangerous feeling" of an internal combustion engine. But he did say that the new electric Charger would be the fastest ever.

Rick Nelson likes the old cars. He owns a company that fixes muscle cars in Illinois. He said it might be a "hard sell" to get older drivers who grew up with big, loud cars to switch to electric ones.

But, times are changing. Nelson said he knows of businesses that are starting to think about how to put electric driving systems into the "classic" cars.

He said, "Guys like me are just going to frown on it and laugh at it." But he knows, as he put it, "this isn't about my generation."

Kuniskis said the future is not the end of the muscle car.

"It's OK," he said. "Just let us show you what the future looks like."

Words in This Story

muscle car –n. an American-made two door sports car with a powerful engine

thunder –n. the loud sound that comes from lightening in the sky

classic –adj. something that has been popular for a long time

tough –adj. difficult

battery –n. a device that stores electricity for use by a machine, like an electric motor

drama –n. a situation or series of events that excite people's emotions

frown –v. a serious facial expression signaling displeasure

1 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

2 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》

3 insights   

洞察力( insight的名词复数 )； 洞悉； 领悟； 顿悟

参考例句：

• This is a book full of profound, original and challenging insights. 这本书充满了深刻、新颖、令人深思的见解。
• Because his judgement was prudent, his insights were central to any consultation. 因为他考虑问题很慎重，所以他的意见在每次磋商时都最受重视。

4 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。

5 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。