????在關(guān)于電池制造商A123破產(chǎn)的種種議論中，有一種觀點被人們忽視。從長期來看，這家公司的破產(chǎn)對美國來說可能是好消息。

????位于馬薩諸塞州沃爾瑟姆的A123公司主要生產(chǎn)電動汽車和混合動力車使用的鋰離子電池。初創(chuàng)企業(yè)菲斯克汽車公司（Fisker Automotive，生產(chǎn)97，000美元的Karma混合動力車）便是該公司的客戶。（菲斯克汽車公司目前為產(chǎn)品召回花費巨資，其中由A123供應(yīng)的電池便是導(dǎo)致召回的原因之一。）寶馬汽車公司（BMW）和通用汽車（General Motors）也是該公司的客戶，而通用電氣（General Electric）則在A123投資約一億美元。好在美國行業(yè)巨頭，來自威斯康辛州格倫代爾市的江森自控公司（Johnson Controls），同意支付7，500萬美元用于該公司的破產(chǎn)融資，并以1.25億美元收購該公司的資產(chǎn)，算是給此次破產(chǎn)帶來了一線曙光。只要沒有其他公司向法庭提出更高的價格，A123公司的技術(shù)和生產(chǎn)設(shè)施就將被江森自控收入囊中。

????對于美國剛剛起步的電池行業(yè)來說，這可能是一個天賜良機。

????就在去年夏天，中國汽車部件制造商萬向集團（Wanxiang Group）曾提出以4.5億美元，收購A123公司的控股股權(quán)。雖然A123公司對這筆交易非常滿意，但卻遭到美國國會的激烈反對。畢竟，這家約1，200名員工的公司，其中900人在密歇根州利沃尼亞市的制造工廠內(nèi)工作，在建設(shè)工廠時獲得了美國能源部2.49億美元的財政撥款，密歇根州還為其提供了1億美元減稅優(yōu)惠。因此，有美國議員質(zhì)疑，用美國納稅人的錢支持的一家美國公司，卻允許中國公司收購其先進技術(shù)，這樣的做法是否明智。除了美國能源部的撥款外，A123公司還是美國聯(lián)邦政府資助的MIT初創(chuàng)企業(yè)，手中握有美國軍方的合約。

????收購A123之后，江森自控將幫助放緩向海外出口知識產(chǎn)權(quán)的速度。最近，中國公司投資了一家馬薩諸塞州鋰離子電池制造商波士頓電池公司（Boston Power）。之前，俄羅斯投資商收購了另外一家深陷困境的美國電池公司Ener1。紐約Needham公司的能源分析師邁克爾?盧這樣解釋道：“美國要想打造一個繁榮的電池行業(yè)，江森自控是最大的希望。未來，這個行業(yè)能否創(chuàng)造大量工作崗位，才是其最大意義所在。”另外，美國還有國家安全方面的考慮。由于美國軍方日益傾向于電氣化交通工具和海軍艦艇，包括潛艇，因此，美國怎么會甘心這樣一項關(guān)鍵技術(shù)落入他國之手呢？

????此外，鋰離子技術(shù)之所以對美國經(jīng)濟如此重要，還有另外一個原因，對鋰離子電池的使用不僅限于交通工具。許多業(yè)內(nèi)人士相信，鋰離子電池可以用于公用設(shè)施，來存儲風(fēng)力發(fā)電廠和太陽能發(fā)電廠生產(chǎn)的電力。這意味著，可以將白天用電需求較低時生產(chǎn)的太陽能進行存儲，等到太陽落山之后，供夜間使用。Needham公司的邁克爾?盧相信，鋰離子電池在這一領(lǐng)域的市場規(guī)模，甚至要比汽車應(yīng)用更為廣闊。

????所以，A123公司的破產(chǎn)，對投資者來說，肯定是壞消息，但從長期來看，卻能刺激美國的就業(yè)市場。

????翻譯：劉進龍/汪皓

????In all the buzz surrounding the bankruptcy of battery maker A123, one point has been overlooked. In the long run, the company's downfall may be good news for America.

????A123, based in Waltham, Ma., makes lithium-ion batteries designed for electric and hybrid cars. The startup Fisker Automotive, which produces the $97,000 Karma hybrid, is a customer, (Some of the batteries A123 supplied Fisker are now part of a costly product recall.) BMW and General Motors (GM) are also customers, and General Electric (GE) has invested around $100 million in A123. The silver lining in the deal is that Johnson Controls (JCI), a giant American corporation based in Glendale, Wisconsin, has agreed to pay $75 million for bankruptcy financing and $125 million to purchase the struggling company's assets. If it doesn't get outbid in bankruptcy court, Johnson Controls will end up owning A123's technology and its manufacturing facilities.

????And that would be a godsend for America's fledging battery industry.

????Only last summer, the Wanxiang Group, a major Chinese auto parts maker, had offered to buy a controlling interest in A123 for $450 million. A123 liked the deal but ran into stiff political opposition from Congress. After all, the company, which employs some 1,200 people -- 900 of them at a manufacturing facility in Livonia, Michigan -- received a $249 million Department of Energy grant, along with $100 million in state tax credits, to build its battery plant there. Some senators questioned the wisdom of a deal in which a Chinese company would be allowed to buy the advanced technology of an American company that has been supported by taxpayer dollars. Besides the DOE money, A123 was a federally funded MIT startup and benefited from contracts with the U.S. military.

????By taking over A123, Johnson Control will help slow the export of intellectual property overseas. China recently invested in Boston Power, a Massachusetts maker of lithium-ion batteries. Earlier, a Russian investor bought Ener1, another struggling U.S. battery company. Michael Lew, an energy analyst at Needham & Company in New York explains it this way: "Johnson Controls is America's best hope to have a thriving battery industry. If this industry is going to be prolific job creator in the future, it makes sense to have a major presence here." There's also a national security angle. As the U.S. military gravitates more toward electrified vehicles and naval vessels, including submarines, does the nation want this key technology to be solely in the hands of foreign nations?

????Another reason Lithium-ion technology could be so important to the U.S. economy is that the use of such batteries isn't limited to vehicles. Many in the industry believe that they will be used by utilities to store electricity generated by wind and solar farms. That means solar energy generated during the day that's not needed can be saved to be consumed during the evening hours when the sun isn't shining. Needham's Michael Lew believes this battery market could be even bigger than the one for automotive use.

????So while the bankruptcy for A123 is surely bad news for its investors, it could in the long run help to power a lot of American jobs.