日本电动汽车业后继乏力

    日本在福岛核泄露事故之后几乎关闭了全国的核电站，只留下两座继续运营。现在日本全国的电力主要依靠比核电价格更贵的火电。由于日本国内能源资源很少，加上弱势日元意味着进口能源的高成本，导致这些成本被转嫁到消费者身上。与此同时，电池技术也没有满足几年前的预期，电动汽车一次充满电虽然平均能跑200公里，但仍然无法满足大多数人的需求。需求的下降意味着丰田等公司的研发中心必须要降低电池开发投入。

    专门研究日本科技的专家泰利•劳埃德指出，即便在前几年日元强势时期，也没有对电动汽车的发展产生帮助。他说：“日本有一些非常有前景的电池技术，如果不是强势日元导致夏普（Sharp）、松下（Panasonic）等公司分散了精力，这些技术可能还会更先进。”

    一些专家表示，便宜、实用的电池要想用在电动汽车上，可能还得要好几年的时间。与此同时，有些人正在寻找替代方法：日本沣桥科技大学（Toyohashi University of Technology）的一支研究团队已经成功地将电力穿过10厘米厚的混凝土进行传递，未来的汽车有可能在路上行驶的时候就能充电。关西大学（Kansai University）科学与技术部主任石川雅史则表示：“在日本，在限速80公里以下的高速公路或其它道路上，如果司机把速度降低一点，那么你在路上行驶的时候就可能给汽车充电。我认为这种技术有必要。”

    日本还远远没有放弃电动汽车技术。日本特许厅的一份调查显示，去年有70%的与电动汽车技术有关的专利都是由日本科学家注册的。其中很多创新都围绕着燃料电池技术的研发，它比纯粹的插电式电动汽车提供了更加令人兴奋的可能。

    丰田计划在2015年向市场投放一款燃料电池汽车。为了实现这个目标，丰田正在投入数十亿美元资金打造这款产品。与此同时，日本政府也在出资建立给燃料电池汽车补充燃料的基础设施，令插电式电动汽车的生产商随时都要担心燃料电池汽车何时会追赶上来。聆风这样的常规电动汽车除非在短时间内明显改善售价和电池性能，否则它们在汽车史上可能只是昙花一现。（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎

    After Japan closed all of its nuclear power stations but two post-Fukushima, the nation's electric power now comes from dearer-than-nuclear, fossil-burning thermal stations. With few domestic energy resources, a weaker yen has meant higher costs for imported energy, which are now being passed onto consumers. Battery technology, meanwhile, has not met the promises expected a few years ago, making the average reach of a fully charged car -- about 200 kilometeres -- inadequate for most. Poor demand, in turn, meant that R&D centers like those at Toyota cut back on battery development, say analysts.

    Nor did a super-charged yen help over the last few years, points out Japanese tech pundit Terri Lloyd. "There are some very promising battery technologies out there, which I think would be more advanced if Sharp, Panasonic, and others didn't have the high yen consuming their attention."

    The development of cheap, practicable batteries for EVs is still years away say some experts. Some are looking for alternatives: A team from the Toyohashi University of Technology has managed to pass electricity through 10 centimeters of concrete, potentially enabling cars to charge while they drive. "In Japan, along highways and other roads where the speed limit is about 80 km per hour, if one were to reduce speed a little, charging could occur while driving through the lanes," says Masashi Ishikawa, Director of the Science and Technology think tank at Kansai University. "I think that kind of technology is necessary."

    Japan is far from giving up on EVs completely, however. About 70% of patents for such cars and "electric propulsion vehicles" were filed by Japanese applicants last year, according to a Japan Patent Office survey. Much innovation centers on the development of energy-generating fuel cells as a greener proposition that offer more exciting possibilities compared to plug-in EVs.

    Toyota, aiming to have a fuel cell car on the market by 2015, is spending billions on their creation. Meanwhile, the Japanese government is helping build the infrastructure needed to fuel them, giving the plug-in builders something to worry about in their rearview mirrors. Unless regular EVs like the Leaf see a massive increase in price and battery performance soon, they could end up as just a blip in transport history.