科技公司为何进军自动驾驶领域？ | 外刊精读
Big Tech’s car obsession is all about taking our eyes off the road
大型科技公司为何纷纷进军自动驾驶领域
学习要点
有关 碳交易 的英文表达
“EV”/“EVI”/“AV” 在汽车领域是什么的缩写？
CFO CTO CIO CMO COO 代表公司的哪些职位？
带着问题去精读
1
精读原文
At first glance, the forays Apple, Google and other technology giants are making into the world of cars don’t appear to be particularly lucrative.
Building automobiles requires factories, equipment and an army of people to design and assemble large hunks of steel, plastic and glass. That all but guarantees slimmer profits. But for Apple and other behemoths that are diving into self-driving tech or have grand plans for their own cars, that push isn’t just about breaking into a new market - it’s about defending valuable turf.
乍一看，苹果、谷歌和其他科技巨头进军汽车行业的举动似乎收益寥寥。
汽车制造需要工厂、设备，还需要大量人员对大块的钢材、塑料和玻璃进行设计和组装。这基本上只能产生微利。但对于苹果和其它正涉足自动驾驶领域或已确立自主造车计划的科技巨头而言，这一举动不仅致力于开辟新的市场，也是为了捍卫宝贵的领地。
📒 精读解析：
foray（在本文中的含义为）竞争/角逐
[类似表达]：It has so far been car-makers and tech firms that have hogged the headlines in the race to develop autonomous vehicles.（The Economist 2016-09）
slimmer profits微薄利润 → fatter profits丰厚利润
[例句]: Car-sharing and ride-hailing schemes may eventually make car-makers money. For mass-market firms, used to slim margins, it might even prove a boon, though premium car-markers, used to fatter profits, may not agree. (The Economist 2016-06）
[拓展]：reap staggering/colossal profits牟取暴利
The government imposed a windfall tax (a tax on profits to be paid once only, not every year) on some industries. 政府对某些行业征收暴利税。
dive into潜心研究 ∕ 一头栽进
例：Dive Into Python（书名）
turf：the place where sb lives or works, especially when he thinks of it as his own（自己的）地盘，势力范围
[例句]：He feels more confident on home turf . 他在主场感到更有信心。
拓展：turf war 地盘/控制权的争夺
Both sides say this is more than just a turf war between big and small banks. 双方都称这不仅仅是一场大小银行的地盘之争。
2
精读原文
A market projected to top $US2 trillion ($2.6 trillion) by 2030 is hard to ignore. By then, more than 58 million vehicles globally are expected to be driving themselves. And Big Tech has the means - from artificial intelligence and massive data, to chip-making and engineering - to disrupt this century-old industry. And Big Tech has the means - from artificial intelligence and massive data, to chip-making and engineering - to disrupt this century-old industry.
一个预计到2030年规模将超过2万亿美元的市场亟需引起重视。全球的自动驾驶汽车保有量届时有望超过5800万辆。从人工智能到海量数据，再到芯片制造和工程技术，大型科技公司都有办法颠覆这个已历经百年的传统行业。
📒精读解析：
Big Tech 大型科技公司
[拓展]：fintech giant金融巨头，steel magnate钢铁巨头，business titan商业巨头
disrupt 颠覆,类似的单词还有upend, overturn, overthrow
[例句]：
The value in car-making will shift from hardware to software and from products to services. That would shake existing car-makers, just as smartphone upended Nokia and Kodak. Already, high-tech newcomers such as Google, Uber and Tesla are muscling in. (The Economist 2015-08）
3
精读原文
The world’s inexorable shift toward intelligent cars that are better for the environment is impossible to miss. If governments haven’t already declared plans to be carbon neutral by, in some cases, the end of this decade, there’s plenty of research that shows combustion-engine cars are going the way of the dinosaurs.
Against that backdrop, it’s unsurprising that after years of chipping away at self-driving cars, tech companies have been stepping up their activities and investments in earnest.
向更有利于环境的智能汽车转型具有历史必然性。即使一些国家的政府尚未宣布实现碳中和的计划（某些国家规定到本世纪二十年代末实现目标），也有很多研究表明：内燃机汽车会像恐龙一样走向穷途末路。
在这种背景下，科技公司在自动驾驶汽车领域进行了多年的细致研究之后，采取严谨态度，强化相关活动和投资，也正是势在必行。
📒精读解析：
inexorable：(of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed不可阻挡的，必然的
[例句]
Judicial interpretation is an inexorable means that makes possible the application of laws and regulations. 司法解释是法律法规得以具体应用的一种必然手段。
*近义词：relentless
intelligent cars 智能汽车
[拓展]
intelligent life智慧生命，
intelligent software/system智能软件/系统
(be) carbon neutral 碳中和, 让我们继续扩展一下相关表达：
拓展表达
carbon-trading market 碳交易市场,
the emissions-trading system (ETS) 碳排放权交易体系,
carbon cap-and trade scheme 碳排放限额交易体系
Carbon Tracker 碳追踪（非营利组织）
carbon-intensive energy 碳密集型能源
carbon sinks 碳汇
carbon-reduction 碳减排
decarbonise the economy 使经济脱碳
combustion-engine cars内燃机汽车
[拓展]：internal combustion engine内燃机（ICE）
chip away at 从…抽去实质性的东西/琢磨/破坏/削弱
[例句]：
It pretty much represents an entirely new framework that other researchers will chip away at for years to come. 很大程度上，它呈现了一个全新的框架，在接下来的几年，研究者们会从中提炼出一些实质性的东西。
4
精读原文
Microsoft, too, is backing several autonomous initiatives, partnering with Volkswagen on self-driving car software, possibly with a view to creating offices-on-the-go.
Amazon.com, meanwhile, has thrown its weight behind Rivian Automotive, which is making electric trucks, and last year bought driverless startup Zoox. It may look to include autonomous rides as part of its Prime membership program.
微软也在支持一些自动驾驶项目，并与大众汽车在自动驾驶汽车软件领域展开了合作，或许是为了实现其“移动式办公室”的目标。
与此同时，亚马逊也始终在全力支持生产电动卡车的Rivian Automotive，并于去年收购了无人驾驶汽车初创公司Zoox。目前看来，亚马逊有望将自动驾驶服务纳入其Prime会员计划。
📒精读解析：
with a view to + v-ing，in order to / so as to + v. 为了...
office-on-the-go / mobile office 移动式办公室
throw/put one’s weight behind sth: to use all your influence and power to support sth 鼎力支持, 全力相助
Prime membership program:（亚马逊）Prime会员计划
5
精读原文
The onslaught has automotive incumbents girding for battle. Industry titans such as Ford, General Motors and Toyota have stepped up their own rival efforts in self-driving. The Japanese automaker is building an entire city around autonomous driving at the base of Mount Fuji while South Korea’s Hyundai is committing $US7.4 billion to make EVs in the US and develop unmanned flying taxis.
科技公司既已强势来袭，传统汽车厂商也常备不懈。福特、通用和丰田等行业巨头都已加大了对自动驾驶领域的投入。丰田汽车正致力于在富士山脚下基地建设一个自动驾驶汽车城，而韩国的现代汽车也将斥资74亿美元在美国生产电动汽车，并研发无人驾驶飞行出租车。
📒精读解析：
automotive incumbents（在本文中的含义为）传统汽车厂商
incumbent: a person who has an official position 在职者，现任者
the present incumbent of the White House 现任美国总统
gird (oneself/sb) for sth: to prepare for sth difficult, especially a fight, contest, etc.
为（战斗、比赛等艰苦工作）做好准备
an entire city around autonomous driving一个自动驾驶汽车城
*注意此处的around：if something such as a film, a discussion, or a plan is based around something, that thing is its main theme. 围绕 (某主题)
[例句]：
The novel is a political thriller loosely based around current political issues.这部小说是一本在一定程度上围绕当前政治问题撰写的政治惊悚小说。
EV (Electric Vehicle) 电动汽车 → EVI (Electric Vehicles Initiative) “电动汽车倡议”
6
精读原文
In China, it’s the biggest tech companies throwing their hats in the ring. Giants from Huawei to Baidu have pledged to plow almost $US19 billion into electric and self-driving vehicle ventures this year alone. Smartphone giant Xiaomi and even Apple’s Taiwanese manufacturing partner Foxconn have joined the fray, forging tie-ups and unveiling their own car-making plans.
在中国，正式参与自动驾驶汽车市场角逐的都是一些大型科技公司。华为和百度等科技巨头于今年在电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车领域宣布了近190亿美元的投资意向。智能手机巨头小米，甚至苹果公司在中国台湾的代理生产商富士康也成了后起之秀，两者都找到了合作伙伴并公布了各自的造车计划。
📒 精读解析：
throw one’s hat in the ring: to announce officially that you are going to compete in an election, a competition, etc. 正式宣布参加竞选（或比赛等）
plough 本义“用犁耕田/开路”，plough the fields犁地
plow...into...: 投资
plow almost $US19 billion into electric and self-driving vehicle ventures
在电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车领域投资近190亿美元
Taiwanese台湾的，台湾人的
[拓展]：
台积电TSMC（Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company）
Foxconn：富士康
forge tie-ups：建立伙伴关系
7
精读原文
While the coronavirus pandemic put a temporary damper on consumers’ appetite for new cars, demand has roared back. A semiconductor shortage means many traditional players can’t keep production lines moving fast enough. This year alone, the global automotive market is projected to rebound by 9.7 per cent to $US2.7 trillion, according to IBIS World.
“Even for companies like Apple and Google, this is a massive market,” Rajkumar said. “CFOs and CEOs literally drool, since first movers are likely to have a major edge. Each of these companies wants to be the predator, and not become the prey.”
尽管新冠疫情暂时浇灭了消费者的购车欲，但需求已大幅回升。芯片短缺意味着多数传统厂商无法保证生产线的高速运转。据市场调研机构IBIS World预测，全球汽车市场的规模预计在今年内反弹9.7%，至2.7万亿美元。
“即使对苹果和谷歌这类公司而言，这也意味着一个巨大的市场，”上文提到的拉吉库马尔教授说，“首席财务官和首席执行官们简直要垂涎三尺了，因为先行者极有可能占据很大优势。每家公司都想成为主动方，不想成为落后者。”
📒精读解析：
put a damper on 扫兴，浇冷水，抑制
[拓展]
同义表达 stifle / choke / inhibit / tap the brakes on
[例句]：
In the early 2000s, few bankers were willing to tap the brakes on increasingly risky and baroque mortgage investments. (Bloomberg Businessweek 2021-06-14）
traditional players（在本文中的含义为）传统厂商
player：a company or person involved in a particular area of business or politics（商业或政治方面的）参与者，竞争者，玩家
[例句]：
The company has emerged as a major player in the London property market.那家公司已崭露头角，成为伦敦物业市场的主要竞争者。
CFO 首席财务官；CEO首席执行官
[拓展]：
CTO首席技术官（Chief Technology Officer）
CIO首席信息官（Chief Information Officer）
COO首席运营官（Chief Operating Officer）
CMO首席营销官（Chief Marketing Officer）
📒精读解析：
drool: 本义为“流口水”，此处引申义“向往”
edge(on/over):a quality/factor which gives superiority over close rivals or competitors优势
[例句]：
The company needs to improve its competitive edge.
公司必须提高它的竞争力。
The three days Uruguay have to prepare could give them the edge over Brazil.
3天的准备时间也许能使乌拉圭比巴西略胜一筹。
cutting-edge 尖端，前沿
“带来优势” 和 “未能带来优势” 的英文表达：
First movers are likely to have a major edge. 先行者极有可能占据很大优势
If so, being first would confer little advantage. 抢先进入市场也不会带来多少优势 (The Economist 2018-02）
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