VOA慢速英語：通用攜手Lyft測試自動駕駛出租車

通用攜手Lyft測試自動駕駛出租車

The American car-maker General Motors and Lyft Incorporated, a ride-sharing service, reportedly will start testing GM automobiles as driverless taxis.

美國汽車生產(chǎn)商通用汽車(General Motors)攜手Lyft開始測試無人駕駛的通用電動出租車車隊。

The Wall Street Journal says the companies could be offering service “within a year.”

華爾街日報說兩家公司將會在一年內(nèi)提供該項服務。

The newspaper said the tests will involve GM’s electric-powered Chevrolet Bolt. But it did not say where the first test will take place.

報道稱該測試所用汽車將為通用旗下的雪佛蘭Bolt電動車，但并未表明該測試將會在哪里舉行。

GM has reportedly invested $500 million in Lyft Inc. The partnership is seen as a way to compete against Uber, another ride-sharing company.

據(jù)報道，通用汽車曾向Lyft投資5億美元。兩公司合作被看做是與另一打車軟件公司優(yōu)步競爭的一種方式。

GM also is planning to buy Cruise Automation Inc. for a reported $1 billion. The California-based company has been developing self-driving car technology for two years, the newspaper reported.

據(jù)報道，通用還計劃以10億美元的價格購買克魯斯自動化公司。報紙上還說，這家位于加利福尼亞的公司已經(jīng)發(fā)展了兩年的無人駕駛技術。

The move is seen as a way for the automaker to sell the Bolt. It will be available later this year in a market for electric cars that the Journal described as “soft.”

這一舉措被看做是汽車制造商銷售Bolt的一種方式。這款電動汽車將于今年晚些時候面市。華爾街日報將電動車市場描述為“疲軟”。

It is also seen as a way for GM to compete with U.S. technology companies interested in building driverless cars.

該舉措也可被看做是通用汽車與美國致力于研究無人駕駛汽車的科技公司競爭的一種手段。

Both Tesla Motors and Alphabet Inc. have been developing such vehicles for years. Alphabet is part of the U.S. technology company Google.

特斯拉汽車和谷歌旗下名為Alphabet Inc.的母公司多年來致力于發(fā)展無人駕駛汽車。

Lyft reportedly is also developing driverless cars at its own research center in Pennsylvania. The company “is preparing for autonomous vehicles in its fleet by 2020,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

據(jù)報道，Lyft在其賓夕法尼亞州的研究中心也在研究無人駕駛汽車。華爾街日報報道說該公司準備在2020年研制出自動駕駛的汽車。

It added that improvements in driverless cars are hurt by “a patchwork of regulations that govern the use of autonomous vehicles and liabilities.”

報道還稱，無人駕駛汽車技術的發(fā)展受到形形色色是有關自動汽車和債務問題的阻礙。

The Wall Street Journal said Lyft will have drivers in the cars “ready to intervene” should something go wrong.

華爾街日報表示 在測試時Lyft將派司機坐在車內(nèi)以防萬一。