世界上第一架全电动飞机成功飞行了近15分钟

世界上第一架全电动飞机成功飞行了近15分钟

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，世界上第一架全电动商用飞机进行了首次试飞，它从加拿大温哥华起飞，为航空公司有朝一日结束其污染排放带来了希望。

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

位于西雅图的工程公司magniX的首席执行官Roei Ganzarski说:“这证明了全电动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.?

该公司设计了这架飞机的发动机，并与Harbour Air合作。Harbour Air每年运送50万名乘客，往返于温哥华、惠斯勒滑雪场、附近岛屿和沿海社区之间。

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

甘扎斯基说，这项技术将为航空公司节省大量成本，更不用说零排放了。

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

“这标志着电子航空时代的开始，”他告诉记者。

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长最快的来源之一，因为人们越来越喜欢乘飞机，而新技术起步缓慢。

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.

根据欧洲环境署(European Environment Agency)的数据，航空业每位乘客每公里(英里)的二氧化碳排放量为285克，远远超过所有其他运输方式的排放量。温室气体排放加剧了全球变暖和气候变化，科学家们说，这将导致更严重的干旱、超级风暴和海平面上升。

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.

这架拥有62年历史、可乘坐6名乘客的德哈维兰-比弗水上飞机(DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane)改装了一台电动机，由海港航空公司(Harbour Air)创始人兼首席执行官格雷格·麦克杜格尔(Greg McDougall)驾驶。

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.?

“对我来说，那次飞行就像在飞一只海狸，但那是一只打了电兴奋剂的海狸。我实际上不得不放弃供电。”他说。

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.

麦克杜格尔乘坐这架飞机在温哥华国际机场附近的弗雷泽河上作了一次短途飞行，日出后不久就有100多名旁观者围观。

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

据一位在现场的法新社记者说，飞机持续了不到15分钟。

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

“我们的目标是让整个舰队真正实现电气化。没有理由不这样做，”麦克杜格尔说。

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

麦克杜格尔表示，除了燃油效率外，公司还可以节省数百万美元的维护成本，因为电动马达的维护成本“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，海港航空公司将不得不等待至少两年，才能开始为其拥有40多架水上飞机的机队供电。