从历史看电动自行车在中国快速转型的主要原因外文翻译.docx

1、从历史看电动自行车在中国快速转型的主要原因外文翻译本科毕业论文外文翻译外文题目： The transition to electric bikes in China: history and key reasons for rapid growth 出 处： Transportation 作 者： Jonathan Weinert 、Chaktan Ma and Christopher Cherry The transition to electric bikes in China: history and keyreasons for rapid growthJonathan Weinert

2、 Chaktan Ma Christopher CherryAbstract Annual electric bike (e-bike) sales in China grew from 40,000 in 1998 to 10 million in 2005. This rapid transition from human-powered bicycles, buses and gasoline-powered scooters to an all-electric vehicle/fuel technology system is special in the evolution of

3、transportation technology and, thus far, unique to China. We examine how and why e-bikes developed so quickly in China with particular focus on the key technical, economic, and political factors involved. This case study provides important insights to policy makers in China and abroad on how timely

4、regulatory policy can change the purchase choice of millions and create a new mode of transportation. These lessons are especially important to China as it embarks on a large-scale transition to personal vehicles, but also to other countries seeking more sustainable forms of transportation.Keywords

5、E-bike Electric bicycle Electric scooter Two-wheel vehicleIntroduction Electric bikes are a category of vehicles in China that includes two-wheel bikes propelled by human pedaling supplemented by electrical power from a storage battery, and low-speed scooters propelled almost solely by electricity (

6、usually with perfunctory pedals to satisfy legal definitions). These vehicles have become a popular transportation mode for Chinese consumers because they provide an inexpensive and convenient form of private mobility and are thus an attractive alternative to public transit or regular bicycling. The

7、y are promoted by national and many local governments due to their low energy consumption and zero tailpipe emissions, especially important in Chinas congested urban areas. E-bikes are gaining an increasing share of two-wheeled transportation throughout China, and in some cities like Chengdu and Suz

8、hou, have even surpassed the bicycle mode share. Understanding the transition to e-bikes is important for guiding the future of personal mobility in China and other developing countries. First, China is on the brink of large-scale motorization (i.e. people buying cars). Understanding how and why a l

9、arge-scale technology system (e-bikes) is successfully adopted may provide insight and a foundation for a smoother transition to cleaner vehicle/fuel systems for personal cars as motorization continues. Secondly, many other developing nations in Southeast Asia with high two-wheel vehicle (2WV) such

10、as India and Vietnam use are confronting the same air quality and energy issues as China. These countries may be able to learn from Chinas experience in adopting e-bikes.Electric bikes background and current status There are hundreds of models of electric bikes manufactured in China. Most can be cat

11、egorized as bicycle style electric bikes (BSEB) or scooter style electric bikes (SSEB) (see Fig. 1) (Jamerson and Benjamin 2005). There is a spectrum of styles between these two types that almost all electric bikes styles fall into. The SSEBs have many of the features of gasoline-powered scooters su

12、ch as horns, headlights, brake lights, turn signals and speedometers. Most rely exclusively on electric power, not human pedaling. BSEBs are more similar in appearance and function to standard bicycles, including functioning pedals. In most cities, electric bikes are allowed to operate in the bicycl

13、e lane and are considered a bicycle from a regulatory perspective(i.e. helmets and drivers licenses are not required). The technology of each type of electric bike is similar. The main components of an electric battery include a hub motor, controller and battery. BSEBs typically have 36 V batteries

14、and 180250 W motors. SSEBs typically have larger 48 V batteries and higher-powered motors 350500 W. Electric bikes are regulated not to exceed 20 km/h, but many, especially scooters, can travel at speeds in excess of that limit and some are advertised to go 40 km/h. A small sub-survey of 14 e-bike u

15、sers reveal top speeds from 2540 km/hr and ranges of 2550 km on a single charge, which requires 68 h. Electric bike batteries are recharged from a standard electrical outlet and thus require no new infrastructure. The majority of e-bike users interviewed charge their e-bikes at home during the night

16、 when electricity is cheaper. In urban areas, this typically means carrying the either the battery or the entire e-bike into a multi-level apartment building. It is also common to see bikes being charged during the day outside ground-floor shops using standard electrical outlets.E-bike issues Safety

17、 is perhaps the most important issue facing e-bike growth. In November 2006, Guangzhou became the third city in China to ban e-bikes (behind Fuzhou and Zhuhai), under advice from the traffic management bureau citing traffic safety concerns (XinhuaNet 2006). This is primarily because e-bikes, while b

18、ecoming faster and heavier, are very quiet. When operating, they are virtually imperceptible by ear, especially to vehicles, which makes e-bike users vulnerable but also dangerous to pedestrians. The safety issue of e-bikes mixed in traffic is a key consideration in the drafting of new National E-Bi

19、ke Standards, which are under revision and under intense debate. While e-bikes provide zero tail-pipe emissions, they do emit pollution from power plants, which are 75% coal fired in China (Cherry 2006). This results in increased emissions of certain pollutants, particularly SO2, which is particular

20、ly problematic in Chinese cities. Other pollutants are low, compared to alternative modes (Cherry 2006). Lead emissions from battery production and recycling have serious health implications in China. Because of poor production and recycling practices within the lead and battery industries, 3070% of

21、 the lead in a battery is lost to the environment. The Chinese e-bike industry The Chinese e-bike industry, with minimal governmental financial support and industry supervision, has developed into the largest producer of e-bikes worldwide. Most produce between 10,000 and 50,000e-bikes a year, but th

22、ere are six companies with an annual production of over200,000 e-bikes. One reason for the large number of companies in this industry is that component technology is mature, the network of suppliers is vast, and manufacturing is relatively simple.2 Profit margins of eight OEMs average at only 6%. Th

23、ere is also considerable theft of intellectual property (IP) by the small to medium companies according to interviews with the managers from larger e-companies. Because of the low barriers to entry and lax IP protection, there are many unlicensed e-bike makers selling poor-quality but low-cost e-bik

24、es. Several OEMs predict that there will be considerable consolidation over the next few years and the number of E-bike makers will drop significantly. The companies that currently make e-bikes come from a variety of industrial backgrounds. Some are established companies producing bicycles, motorcyc

25、les, electrical appliances, and even toy cars, that shifted to making e-bikes when demand grew. Some of these companies are over 60 years old, but most did not start producing e-bikes until post-2000. Many companies with no past manufacturing experience entered the industry making e-bikes directly.I

26、mportant factors for rapid e-bike growth The reasons for e-bike success in the 3rd phase can be categorized into three important development factors: technology, economics, and policy.1、Technology factors Improvements in battery and motor technology since the 90s helped expand the market for e-bikes

27、. E-bikes, reaching ranges of 5060 km . Over 95% of e-bikes sold in China use Pb-acid batteries (Jamerson and Benjamin 2005). While Pb-acid batteries have been in use for nearly a century in automobiles and other applications, there have been important advances in the past decade rendering them more

28、 suitable for e-bikes.During the first phase of e-bike introduction, batteries used liquid acid electrolyte instead of the fixed electrolyte used in most Pb-acid batteries today. Liquid-type required more maintenance, and if the battery or bike fell over, electrolyte leaked out and caused property d

29、amage. Most e-bikes today use valve-regulated Pb-acid types with gel or absorbed glass mat (AGM) electrolyte, which, in addition to improving energy density, also minimizes maintenance and electrolyte spills due to its sealed nature (Jamerson and Benjamin 2005). 2、Economic factors The most important

30、 economic factors explaining rapid e-bike adoption in China are the rising income level of the Chinese, the decreasing cost of e-bike technology, and the rising cost of gasoline.The rapid development of China in the past decade has raised the standard of livingof its residents, bringing the e-bike w

31、ithin closer reach of millions more. Between1997 and 2004, average disposable income increased 82% from $645/year to $1180/year. Fuel price has risen substantially in the past 6 years. Gasoline prices in Shanghai increased 45% since 2002 from $0.39 to $0.56/liter (excluding inflation). Consumers pur

32、chase decisionsare sensitive to fuel cost increases since it is a more frequent payment.Along with rising gasoline prices, electricity prices fell in rural areas. This price decrease was due to significant investment from central government in electricity infrastructure through rural areas nationwid

33、e, and the decision to drop rural electricity prices to urban price levels. Before this policy was enacted 1998, electricity price in rural areas was 50% higher than in urban areas (XinhuaNet 2004). This decrease in price combined with rising income caused the rural e-bike market toexpand rapidly.3 One electric bik