????日本在福島核泄露事故之后幾乎關閉了全國的核電站，只留下兩座繼續(xù)運營。現(xiàn)在日本全國的電力主要依靠比核電價格更貴的火電。由于日本國內(nèi)能源資源很少，加上弱勢日元意味著進口能源的高成本，導致這些成本被轉(zhuǎn)嫁到消費者身上。與此同時，電池技術也沒有滿足幾年前的預期，電動汽車一次充滿電雖然平均能跑200公里，但仍然無法滿足大多數(shù)人的需求。需求的下降意味著豐田等公司的研發(fā)中心必須要降低電池開發(fā)投入。

????專門研究日本科技的專家泰利?勞埃德指出，即便在前幾年日元強勢時期，也沒有對電動汽車的發(fā)展產(chǎn)生幫助。他說：“日本有一些非常有前景的電池技術，如果不是強勢日元導致夏普（Sharp）、松下（Panasonic）等公司分散了精力，這些技術可能還會更先進。”

????一些專家表示，便宜、實用的電池要想用在電動汽車上，可能還得要好幾年的時間。與此同時，有些人正在尋找替代方法：日本灃橋科技大學（Toyohashi University of Technology）的一支研究團隊已經(jīng)成功地將電力穿過10厘米厚的混凝土進行傳遞，未來的汽車有可能在路上行駛的時候就能充電。關西大學（Kansai University）科學與技術部主任石川雅史則表示：“在日本，在限速80公里以下的高速公路或其它道路上，如果司機把速度降低一點，那么你在路上行駛的時候就可能給汽車充電。我認為這種技術有必要。”

????日本還遠遠沒有放棄電動汽車技術。日本特許廳的一份調(diào)查顯示，去年有70%的與電動汽車技術有關的專利都是由日本科學家注冊的。其中很多創(chuàng)新都圍繞著燃料電池技術的研發(fā)，它比純粹的插電式電動汽車提供了更加令人興奮的可能。

????豐田計劃在2015年向市場投放一款燃料電池汽車。為了實現(xiàn)這個目標，豐田正在投入數(shù)十億美元資金打造這款產(chǎn)品。與此同時，日本政府也在出資建立給燃料電池汽車補充燃料的基礎設施，令插電式電動汽車的生產(chǎn)商隨時都要擔心燃料電池汽車何時會追趕上來。聆風這樣的常規(guī)電動汽車除非在短時間內(nèi)明顯改善售價和電池性能，否則它們在汽車史上可能只是曇花一現(xiàn)。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

????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.