Warren Buffett-backed Chinese carmaker BYD will launch London’s first ever all-electric taxi fleet today, pulling ahead of global rivals such as Nissan in the race to roll out zero emission cabs by 2018.
得到沃伦•巴菲特(Warren Buffett)支持的中国汽车厂商比亚迪(BYD)今天将推出伦敦历史上首支全电动出租车队，在2018年前批量供应零排放出租车的竞争中走在了日产(Nissan)等国际对手的前面。
BYD’s move into London transport comes ahead of a 2018 deadline set by Mayor Boris Johnson for all of the city’s taxis to be zero-emission, which has sparked a battle between manufacturers to develop vehicles.
伦敦市长鲍里斯•约翰逊(Boris Johnson)设定了全市出租车必须在2018年前实现零排放的目标，引发汽车厂商争相开发新车。比亚迪赶在该期限之前率先打入伦敦交通市场。
The Chinese manufacturer, 9.9 per cent owned by Mr Buffett, will launch a fleet of 20 electric cars operated by Thriev, a taxi company, less than two months after supplying London’s first fully electric buses.
巴菲特持有9.9%股份的这家中国厂商将推出20辆电动汽车组成的车队，由出租车公司Thriev运营。不到两个月前，比亚迪还交付了伦敦历史上首批全电动公共汽车。
“Londoners are typically early adopters of new technology . . . and we are very happy to be first and beat the deadline by a few years. This is where electric vehicle technology will shine,” said Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD Europe.
“伦敦人常常是新技术的尝鲜者……我们很高兴比最后期限提前几年率先推出产品。电动汽车技术将在这里绽放光芒，”比亚迪欧洲董事总经理何一鹏(Isbrand Ho)表示。
“Look at Boris, he rides a bike to work,” said Mr Ho. “London is at the forefront of zero emission.”
“看看鲍里斯，他骑车上班，”何一鹏表示，“伦敦走在零排放的前沿。”
Nissan, the most successful electric car manufacturer, and the London Taxi Company , which builds the iconic black cab, are developing fully electric models ahead of the 2018 deadline.
最为成功的电动汽车厂商日产(Nissan)和经典黑出租车的制造商伦敦出租车公司(London Taxi Company)也准备赶在2018年期限之前开发出全电动车型。
Mr Johnsons’ office said taxis account for more than a third of all exhaust emissions in the city, and the push for zero-emission cabs comes as part of a wider drive by the government to make the country a big market for electric vehicles.
伦敦市长办公室表示，出租车贡献了伦敦所有尾气排放的逾三分之一，推广零排放出租车是政府将英国打造成重要电动汽车市场举措的一部分。
BYD is also in talks with potential partners to start building the e6 models in the UK, Mr Ho said.
何一鹏称，比亚迪还在与潜在的合作伙伴谈判，准备在英国生产e6型号汽车。
The taxis can be hired through a phone app similar to those used by companies such as Hailo.
这些出租车可通过手机应用（与Hailo等公司使用的应用类似）叫车。