據外媒報道，近日，德國成功測試了世界上第一輛“氫鐵”。氫鐵被譽為世界上最清潔環保的火車。其牽引系統以氫氣為原料，而多余的能量將儲存在列車底部懸掛的鋰電池里。排放物只有水蒸汽，沒有任何其它的碳化合物和顆粒，完全做到了對環境友好的“零排放”。

Imagine a nearly silent train that glides along its tracks emitting nothing more toxic than water.
想象一下，一輛火車消無聲息地沿著鐵軌運行，排放物中的有毒物質不過是水。

That train is a reality.
這種火車是真實存在的。

In March, Germany conducted successful tests of the world's first "Hydrail" - a hydrogen powered, zero-emission train.
3月份，德國成功測試了世界上第一輛“氫鐵”，這是一種零排放的氫氣動力火車。

"The new train is 60% less noisy than a traditional diesel train, completely emission free," said Jens Sprotte of Alstom, the French producer of the train. "Its speed and the possibility to transport passengers match the performance of a diesel train."
來自氫鐵制造商法國阿爾斯通公司的詹斯?施普羅特稱：“與傳統柴油火車相比，氫鐵的噪音降低了60%，完全是零排放。其運行速度和載客能力與柴油火車不相上下。”

"The only sound it gives off comes from the wheels and air resistance," Sprotte added.
施普羅特表示：“氫鐵唯一發出的聲音來自車輪和空氣阻力。”

Here's how the new technology works:
下面是這項新技術的原理：

The Hydrail uses the same equipment as a diesel train but substitutes hydrogen as its fuel source. Large fuel cells sitting on top of the train combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, which is then transferred to lithium ion batteries.
氫鐵使用的設備與柴油火車相同，但以氫氣取代柴油作為其燃料來源。火車頂部安裝的大型燃料電池將氫氣與氧氣結合產生電能，隨后電能被轉移到鋰離子電池中。

Energy that is not immediately used can be stored for later use, increasing fuel efficiency. The train's only emissions are steam and water, resulting in minimal impact to the environment.
沒有立即使用的能量將被儲存起來，以備后續使用，這提高了能源效率。氫鐵的唯一排放物是水蒸汽和水，對環境造成的影響極小。

"It's so clean you can breathe it in," said Stefan Schrank, the train's project manager at Alstom.
阿爾斯通公司氫鐵項目經理斯蒂芬?施蘭克表示：“氫鐵排放的廢氣干凈到可以呼吸。”

Five federal states in Germany have signed a letter of intent to purchase a total of 60 trains from the French firm.
德國有5個聯邦州已經簽署了購買意向書，從阿爾斯通共計購買60列氫鐵。

Each two-car train set requires a fuel cell and a 207 pound tank of hydrogen to supply it. The oxygen is supplied from the air around the train.
每個兩節車廂的列車組需要一個燃料電池以及一個207磅（約為94公斤）的氫氣罐提供動力。氧氣可從火車周圍的空氣中獲得。

The train can travel up to 500 miles per day on a single tank of hydrogen, carrying 300 passengers at a time.
氫鐵消耗一罐氫氣平均每天最多可行駛500英里（約為800公里），一次可搭載300名乘客。

The first operational trains will roll out by the beginning of 2018, providing a green alternative to the 4,000 diesel trains currently operating in Germany. According to the EU, about 20% of Europe's current rail traffic runs on diesel.
第一批運營列車將于2018年初面世，為德國現在運行的4000輛柴油火車提供環保的替代選擇。據歐盟統計，目前歐洲20%的鐵路線路上運行的是柴油車。

The new train is ideally suited for short stretches of the European network that have not been converted to electric rails.
這種新型火車非常適合歐洲鐵路網中沒有轉換成電力軌道的短程線路。

Alstom are hoping the train will turn a profit within its first couple years of operation. They hope the model will replace Germany's fleet of diesel trains in five to 20 years.
阿爾斯通期望在氫鐵開始運營的最初幾年內就能盈利，也希望氫鐵能在5-20年內取代德國的柴油列車。

The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and the UK have also expressed interest in the train.
荷蘭、丹麥、挪威和英國也對氫鐵表現出興趣。

英文來源：CNN
翻譯&編輯：董靜
審校：丹妮