(点击右边三个点，可调整速度，电脑上可下载)

听力参考原文 ↓↓↓

[00:00.04]American electric carmaker Tesla

[00:03.84]has broken ground on a new lithium processing center

[00:09.16]it says will support the production

[00:12.52]of up to 1 million vehicles by 2025.

[00:17.84]When completed, the factory in the state of Texas

[00:22.52]will be the largest lithium processor

[00:26.04]in North America, Reuters news agency reported.

[00:30.88]The operation will push Tesla outside its main business

[00:36.80]of manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs).

[00:41.60]Lithium-based batteries are used to power most EVs.

[00:48.32]Tesla chief Elon Musk said at a recent ground-breaking ceremony

[00:54.84]the processing center will be required for the company

[00:59.16]to reach its EV sales targets.

[01:02.76]He explained that in just a few years,

[01:06.88]lithium supplies worldwide are expected to face major shortages.

[01:13.80]Musk said Tesla aims to complete construction of the factory next year.

[01:21.00]It is expected to reach full production about one year later.

[01:26.92]The move will make Tesla the only major

[01:30.88]automaker in North America to refine its own lithium.

[01:36.24]Currently, China is the biggest processor

[01:40.44]of many in-demand minerals, including lithium.

[01:45.12]Texas Governor Greg Abbott attended the ceremony.

[01:50.48]He said, "Texas wants to be able to be self-reliant,

[01:55.56]not dependent upon any foreign hostile nation

[01:59.96]for what we need. We need lithium."

[02:04.64]Musk did not give an exact estimate

[02:08.32]for how much lithium the factory would process each year.

[02:13.52]But he did say Tesla would continue to buy lithium

[02:18.48]from two U.S.-based companies

[02:21.56]it currently uses, Albemarle and Livent.

[02:26.20]"So it's not that Tesla will do all of it," Musk noted.

[02:31.88]Albemarle plans to build a lithium processing center in South Carolina

[02:38.32]that will aim to refine 100,000 tons of the substance each year.

[02:45.72]Building on that project is expected to begin next year.

[02:51.68]Musk did not say where Tesla will get the unprocessed lithium,

[02:58.20]which is known as spodumene concentrate.

[03:02.40]Currently, the company has supply deals

[03:06.08]with North Carolina-based Piedmont Lithium and others.

[03:11.32]Tesla said it will avoid the lithium industry's traditional refining process,

[03:19.16]which depends on sulfuric acid and other strong chemicals.

[03:24.80]Instead, the company said it plans to use materials

[03:29.64]that cause less environmental harm, such as soda ash.

[03:35.36]"You could live right in the middle of the refinery

[03:39.72]and not suffer any ill effect," Musk said.

[03:44.24]"So they're very clean operations."

[03:47.96]Local media reported, however, that some environmental activists

[03:54.44]had raised concerns over the processing center.

[03:58.96]I'm Bryan Lynn.

_____________________

Words in This Story

battery – n. a device placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity

refine – v. make a substance pure by removing other substances from it

self-reliant – adj. able to do things alone and not depend on other people or things

ill – adj. a way that is bad or not suitable