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Cuba’s capital, Havana, is famous for its colorful vintage cars.
古巴首都哈瓦那以其五颜六色的老爷车而闻名。
They fill the streets and are often popular subjects for visitors' photographs.
它们充斥着街道，经常成为游客们拍照的热门打卡对象。
But these days, Cubans are just as likely to be found traveling around town quickly and quietly on electric scooters made with Chinese parts.
但如今，人们同样可能会发现，古巴人骑着由中国零部件制造的电动车在镇上快速而安静地旅行。
"Electric motorcycles are solving a lot of problems in Cuba, they are already used for almost everything," said Omar Cortina.
奥马尔·科蒂纳说：“电动摩托车解决了古巴很多问题，几乎所有行业都已经用上了。”
He is a Cuban hotel worker who recently purchased his first electric vehicle -- a lime-green scooter powered by a lithium battery.
他是一名古巴酒店工作人员，最近购买了自己的第一辆电动车--一辆由锂电池驱动的石灰绿色踏板车。
Until recently, Cuba's roads had changed little in the years since former leader Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.
至今，古巴的道路在前领导人菲德尔·卡斯特罗1959年革命后的几年里几乎没有变化。
Old cars with old exhaust systems drove along uneven roads.
装有旧排气系统的旧车在崎岖的道路上行驶。
Today, electric vehicles are an increasingly common transportation choice.
如今，电动汽车越来越成为一种常见的交通选择。
Between 2020 and 2022, Cuba-based companies produced more than 23,000 electric vehicles.
2020年至2022年间，古巴公司生产了超过2.3万辆电动汽车。
That number comes from official government sources.
这一数字来自政府官方消息。
Fuel for combustion-powered engines has been hard to find for years in Cuba.
多年来，古巴一直很难找到内燃机燃料。
People would wait in fuel lines for hours and sometimes even days.
人们会排队几个小时，有时甚至几天来加油。
Earlier this year, the price for gasoline increased to five times the usual price.
今年早些时候，汽油价格涨到了平时的五倍。
That means a usual 40-liter tank of gas costs more than a state-worker's average monthly earnings.
这意味着一箱普通的40升汽油的价格比一名国家工作人员的月平均收入还要高。
For most Cubans, that made purchasing gasoline nearly impossible.
对于大多数古巴人来说，这使得购买汽油几乎是不可能的。
Public transportation is hardly any better But costly fuel is not the only problem.
公共交通也好不到哪里去，但昂贵的燃料并不是唯一的问题。
There are fewer buses in Havana than there were in the past.
哈瓦那的公交车比过去少了。
This year, half the bus routes to points outside the capital were cut, state-run news agencies in Cuba report.
据古巴国营通讯社报道，今年，前往首都以外地点的公交路线有一半被削减。
Fuel and parts to repair old buses are also harder to find.
修理旧公交车的燃料和零部件也更难找到。
All these factors have helped to increase the demand for electric vehicles.
所有这些因素都有助于增加对电动汽车的需求。
Products from newly formed companies like Caribbean Electric Vehicles (Vedca) are helping to fill that demand.
加勒比电动汽车(Vedca)等新成立的公司的产品正在帮助满足这一需求。
Vedca is a joint venture between Chinese investor Tianjin Dongxing Industrial and Cuban state bicycle manufacturer Minerva.
Vedca是中国投资者天津东兴实业和古巴国自行车制造商Minerva的合资企业。
It has produced more than 2,000 scooters, bikes, and mini-tricycle trucks in Cuba with Chinese parts. J
它已经在古巴生产了2000多辆带有中国零部件的小型摩托车、自行车和迷你三轮车。
uilo Oscar Perez is the company’s director.
尤伊洛-奥斯卡-佩雷斯是该公司的董事。
Perez told reporters that electric vehicles are not just giving people another way of getting around. They are also solving fuel-related problems.
佩雷斯告诉记者，电动汽车不仅仅是给人们提供了另一种出行方式，还有利于解决与燃料相关的问题。
The company, Perez said, has also begun testing a new electric tractor and experimenting with other electric-powered heavy machinery.
佩雷斯说，该公司还开始测试一种新的电动拖拉机，并试验其他电动重型机械。
Other small Cuban companies also sell electric bikes. Some bikes are basic while others are more costly.
其他古巴小公司也在销售电动自行车。一些自行车是基本的，而另一些则更昂贵。
The government also recently began permitting imports of much costlier electric vehicles.
政府最近还开始允许进口价格高得多的电动汽车。
Imports of automobiles from the neighboring United States have risen to $24.6 million so far in 2024, the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council said.
美国-古巴贸易和经济委员会说，2024年到目前为止，从邻国美国进口的汽车已经上升到2,460万美元。
There is a growing number of Cubans who want more luxurious electric and hybrid automobiles, including Teslas.
越来越多的古巴人想要更豪华的电动和混合动力汽车，包括特斯拉。
But the number of Cubans who can pay for such vehicles is still small.
但有能力支付这类车辆费用的古巴人仍然很少。
For Omar Cortina, the hotel worker, just being able to get back and forth from work is enough of a selling-point.
对于酒店工作人员奥马尔·科尔蒂娜来说，能够方便上下班就足以成为卖点。
I’m Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥。
