全球首個電動飛機成功飛行15分鐘

The world's first fully electric plane has flown successfully for almost 15 minutes.

世界上第一架全電動飛機成功飛行了近15分鐘。

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.

週二，世界上第一架全自動商業飛機進行首次飛行測試，從加拿大溫哥華起飛，這表明有一天飛機也許有希望結束污染排放。

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

位於西雅圖的工程公司magniX的CEO羅伊·甘扎斯基（Roei Ganzarski）說，“這證明了全電動形式的商業航空是可行的。”

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.

該公司設計了飛機的馬達，並與海港航空公司（Harbour Air）合作，後者每年要運送50萬名乘客往返於溫哥華、惠斯勒滑雪場及附近的島嶼和沿海的社羣。

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

甘扎斯基說，這項技術將給航空公司省下鉅額費用--更不用說零排放了。

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

他告訴記者說，“這表示着電動航空年代的開始。”

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.

民用航空是碳排放量增長最快的來源之一，因爲人們越來越多地乘坐飛機出行，然而新技術進展緩慢。

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.

根據歐洲環境署，每位乘客每航行一公里（英里）就要排放285克二氧化碳，航空業的排放遠超其他的交通形式。

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.

電動飛機由一架有62年曆史的六座DHC-2德哈維蘭海狸水上飛機改造而成，由海港航空的創始人和總裁格雷格·麥克杜蘭（Greg McDougall）駕駛。

"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.

他說，“對我來說，這次飛行就像駕着海狸飛機一樣，但那比海狸快得多。事實上，我不得不關閉電源。”

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.

麥克杜蘭日出後駕駛飛機在溫哥華國際機場旁的弗雷澤河繞了個小圈，大約有100個旁觀者。