Tesla will open a Megapack battery factory in Shanghai, it said on Sunday, as it doubles down on its investment in China even as political tension rises between Beijing and Washington. The news was announced just days after Airbus unveiled plans for a second final-assembly line in the country’s north.
周日，美国电动汽车及能源公司特斯拉表示将在上海开设一家Megapack （超大型商用储能电池）电池工厂。尽管中美之间的政治紧张局势加剧，但特斯拉仍将卯足劲，加大在中投资。几天前，空中巴士公司也公布了将在中国北部建立第二条总装线的计划。The Tesla factory will be able to produce 10,000 Megapacks, which are very large batteries used to store huge amounts of electricity, the company said in a tweet. It announced the new factory with a picture of a signing ceremony in China.特斯拉在一条推文中表示，特斯拉工厂将能够生产1万个超大型商用储能电池（Megapacks），这是一种用于储存大量电力的超大电池。推文配上了一张在中国举行的签字仪式的照片，宣布了新工厂的成立。“Tesla opening Megapack factory in Shanghai to supplement output of Megapack factory in California,” Elon Musk said on Twitter.埃隆·马斯克在推特上表示：“特斯拉在上海开设了Megapack工厂，以补充加州Megapack工厂的产量。”。Megapacks are meant to be used as massive batteries to help stabilize energy grids. Each unit can store enough energy to power an average of 3,600 homes for one hour, the company says. They are designed for utilities and large-scale commercial projects, not vehicles.超大型商用储能电池（Megapacks）将用作巨型电池，帮助稳定电网。特斯拉表示，每个Megapack 机组可储存足够的电量，满足 3,600 户家庭一小时的用电需求。这种巨型电池将用于公用事业和大型商业项目，而非车辆。
Chinese state media outlet Xinhua was the first to report the news, saying the electric automaker will break ground in this year’s third quarter and begin production in the second quarter of 2024. The Shanghai facility would have the same level of production capacity as Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California — equivalent to 40 gigawatt-hours of energy storage.官媒新华社率先报道了这一消息，称特斯拉将在今年第三季度破土动工，并于2024年第二季度开始生产。上海工厂的产能水平将与特斯拉位于加利福尼亚州拉特罗普的超级工厂相同，相当于40吉瓦时的储能。“We believe this announcement is a potential game changer for Tesla on the battery front,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. “In this EV [electric vehicle] arms race Tesla is further building its lead in battery technology with the new Megapack factory in China another flex the muscle moment for Musk.”韦德布希证券公司分析师丹尼尔·艾夫斯表示：“我们认为，这一宣布可能会改变特斯拉在电池领域的游戏规则。”。“在这场电动汽车军备竞赛中，特斯拉正在进一步建立其在电池技术方面的领先地位，在中国新建了Megapack工厂，这又是马斯克大展实力的一大机会。”Last month, Apple (AAPL)’s Tim Cook visited Beijing in show of support for the country as a market and manufacturing base amid escalating political rhetoric between the United States and China.上月，苹果公司的蒂姆·库克访问了北京，以表示在中美政治言论不断升级之际，对中国作为市场和制造业基地的支持。The Megafactory will be located in Lingang, an enormous free trade zone on the outskirts of Shanghai, where Tesla’s electric-vehicle Gigafactory broke ground in 2019.这座巨型电池工厂将落户上海郊区的临港，这是一个巨大的自由贸易区，特斯拉的电动汽车超级工厂于2019年在这里破土动工。
That facility was built within 10 months, at 65% of the cost of the Model 3 production plant in the United States. Within a few years, it became the biggest EV production plant on the planet. The Shanghai facility is Tesla’s main export hub, supplying vehicles to most markets outside of North America.该工厂10个月内就成功建成，其建造成本更比美国的Model 3生产线降低了约65%。几年之内，它就成为了地球上最大的电动汽车生产工厂。上海工厂是特斯拉的主要出口中心，为北美以外的大多数市场供应汽车。Tesla is also making inroads among Chinese drivers. Last week, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said the company sold 88,869 units of Shanghai-made EVs in March. According to Reuters, that figure was 35% higher than a year ago. Tesla is the second largest EV maker in the country behind market leader BYD (BYDDF), which sold 206,089 units last month.特斯拉也在中国汽车市场中收获颇丰。上周，中国乘用车协会（CPCA）表示，特斯拉在3月份售出了约9万辆汽车（上海制造）。据路透社报道，这一数字比一年前高出35%。特斯拉是美国第二大电动汽车制造商，仅次于电动车巨头比亚迪，比亚迪上月的销售量为约20万辆。In January, Tesla slashed prices in China for the second time in less than three months, in an effort to boost sales as amid slowing demand in the world’s largest car market. The cuts came days after Beijing ended a 13-year-long subsidy for electric vehicle purchases, a move that is expected to put further pressure on car demand.今年1月，在中国汽车市场需求放缓的情况下，特斯拉在三个月内两次降价，以提振在华销量。此前几天，北京取消了为期13年的电动汽车购买补贴，预计此举将给汽车需求带来进一步压力。The Chinese government had planned to phase out its costly EV subsidy program by the end of 2020, but extended it during the pandemic to avert a sharp economic slowdown.中国政府原计划在2020年底前逐步取消昂贵的电动汽车补贴计划，但在疫情期间延长了补贴计划，以避免经济急剧放缓。For 2023, the CPCA estimates sales of “new energy cars,” which are mostly EVs, to reach 8.5 million units, which will account for 36% of total car sales, according to the official China Securities Journal.据官方的《中国证券报》报道，中国乘用车协会预计2023年“新能源汽车”的销量将达到850万辆，占汽车总销量的36%，其中大部分是电动汽车。
- double down：双倍下注；做某事更顽强，更坚定
- utilities：实用工具，应用程序；公共事业设备
- flex one's muscle：展现实力，显示力量
编辑：ETTBL
翻译：Gleen
