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For many buyers, electric vehicles (EVs) are simply too expensive, their range is too limited, and charging them isn’t as quick and convenient as refueling at the gas stations. All these limitations have to do with the lithium-ion batteries (锂电池) that power the vehicles. They’re costly, heavy, and quick to run out of juice. To make matters worse, the batteries rely on liquid electrolytes (电解质) that can burn during crashes.
Making electric cars more competitive with gas-powered ones will require a breakthrough battery that overcomes those shortcomings. That, at least, is the argument of Jagdeep Singh, chief executive of QuantumScape, a Silicon Valley startup that claims to have developed just such a technology. The company says it did so by solving a chemistry puzzle: how to use lithium to boost the amount of energy that can be packed into a battery without posing a routine risk of fire or otherwise weakening performance. The company says it achieved this by developing a solid version of the flammable (易燃的) liquid electrolyte.
In an online presentation in December, QuantumScape displayed a series of charts showing that a single-layer lab version of the battery can be charged to more than 80% of its capacity in 15 minutes, last for hundreds of thousands of miles, and work fine at freezing temperatures. The company expects the batteries to be able to boost electric vehicles’ range by more than 80%: a car that can go 250 miles on a single charge today could drive 450 miles instead.
Indeed, the battery field is littered with examples of startups that promised breakthrough technologies but ultimately failed. And the challenges ahead of QuantumScape are enormous, particularly when it comes to turning its samples into commercial products that can be produced cheaply.
If the company succeeded, it could transform the EV marketplace. Cutting costs, boosting the range, and making charging convenient enough could broaden demand beyond people who can afford charging ports at home, and ease the anxieties of those who fear being left on longer trips.
1．What does the author mainly want to tell us in the first paragraph?| A．The high cost of electric vehicles. | B．The complaints of vehicle consumers. |
| C．The disadvantages of present batteries. | D．The inconvenience of charging cars. |
| A．They consume more energy than gas-powered ones. |
| B．They should reduce performance to avoid the risk of fire. |
| C．They have gained an advantage over gas-powered ones now. |
| D．They need technology improvement in batteries’ performance. |
| A．By showing lab data online. |
| B．By testing the battery capacity on site. |
| C．By challenging the previous range record. |
| D．By displaying the working principles of electric cars. |
| A．Dismissive. | B．Objective. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
同类型试题
y = sin x， x∈R， y∈[–1，1]，周期为2π，函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x， x∈[–1，1]， y∈[–π/2，π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2
y = sin x， x∈R， y∈[–1，1]，周期为2π，函数图像以 x = (π/2) + kπ 为对称轴
y = arcsin x， x∈[–1，1]， y∈[–π/2，π/2]
sin x = 0 ←→ arcsin x = 0
sin x = 1/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/6
sin x = √2/2 ←→ arcsin x = π/4
sin x = 1 ←→ arcsin x = π/2
