世界上第一架全電動飛機成功飛行了近15分鐘

世界上第一架全電動飛機成功飛行了近15分鐘

The world's first fully electric commercial aircraft took its inaugural test flight on Tuesday, taking off from the Canadian city of Vancouver and offering hope that airlines may one day end their polluting emissions.

周二，世界上第一架全電動商用飛機進行了首次試飛，它從加拿大溫哥華起飛，為航空公司有朝一日結(jié)束其污染排放帶來了希望。

This proves that commercial aviation in all-electric form can work, said Roei Ganzarski, chief executive of Seattle-based engineering firm magniX.

位于西雅圖的工程公司magniX的首席執(zhí)行官Roei Ganzarski說:“這證明了全電動形式的商用航空是可行的。”

The company designed the plane's motor and worked in partnership with Harbour Air, which ferries half a million passengers a year between Vancouver, Whistler ski resort and nearby islands and coastal communities.?

該公司設(shè)計了這架飛機的發(fā)動機，并與Harbour Air合作。Harbour Air每年運送50萬名乘客，往返于溫哥華、惠斯勒滑雪場、附近島嶼和沿海社區(qū)之間。

Ganzarski said the technology would mean significant cost savings for airlines -- not to mention zero emissions.

甘扎斯基說，這項技術(shù)將為航空公司節(jié)省大量成本，更不用說零排放了。

This signifies the start of the electric aviation age, he told reporters.

“這標(biāo)志著電子航空時代的開始，”他告訴記者。

Civil aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon emissions as people increasingly take to the skies and new technologies have been slow to get off the ground.?

民用航空是碳排放增長最快的來源之一，因為人們越來越喜歡乘飛機，而新技術(shù)起步緩慢。

At 285 grammes of CO2 emitted per kilometre (mile) travelled by each passenger, airline industry emissions far exceed those from all other modes of transport, according to the European Environment Agency. The emissions contribute to global warming and climate change, which scientists say will unleash ever harsher droughts, superstorms, and sea-level rise.

根據(jù)歐洲環(huán)境署(European Environment Agency)的數(shù)據(jù)，航空業(yè)每位乘客每公里(英里)的二氧化碳排放量為285克，遠遠超過所有其他運輸方式的排放量。溫室氣體排放加劇了全球變暖和氣候變化，科學(xué)家們說，這將導(dǎo)致更嚴重的干旱、超級風(fēng)暴和海平面上升。

The e-plane -- a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane retrofitted with an electric motor –- was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and chief executive of Harbour Air.

這架擁有62年歷史、可乘坐6名乘客的德哈維蘭-比弗水上飛機(DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane)改裝了一臺電動機，由海港航空公司(Harbour Air)創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官格雷格·麥克杜格爾(Greg McDougall)駕駛。

For me that flight was just like flying a Beaver, but it was a Beaver on electric steroids. I actually had to back off on the power, he said.?

“對我來說，那次飛行就像在飛一只海貍，但那是一只打了電興奮劑的海貍。我實際上不得不放棄供電。”他說。

McDougall took the plane on a short loop along the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport in front of around 100 onlookers soon after sunrise.

麥克杜格爾乘坐這架飛機在溫哥華國際機場附近的弗雷澤河上作了一次短途飛行，日出后不久就有100多名旁觀者圍觀。

The flight lasted less than 15 minutes, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.

據(jù)一位在現(xiàn)場的法新社記者說，飛機持續(xù)了不到15分鐘。

Our goal is to actually electrify the entire fleet. There's no reason not to, said McDougall.?

“我們的目標(biāo)是讓整個艦隊真正實現(xiàn)電氣化。沒有理由不這樣做，”麥克杜格爾說。

On top of fuel efficiency, the company would save millions in maintenance costs, as electric motors require "drastically" less upkeep, McDougall said.

麥克杜格爾表示，除了燃油效率外，公司還可以節(jié)省數(shù)百萬美元的維護成本，因為電動馬達的維護成本“大大”降低。

However, Harbour Air will have to wait at least two years before it can begin electrifying its fleet of more than 40 seaplanes.

然而，海港航空公司將不得不等待至少兩年，才能開始為其擁有40多架水上飛機的機隊供電。