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No matter which manufacturer is quickest to gain velocity, Uber, a ride-hailing firm, aims to be at the centre of things.
無論哪家制造商最先讓飛行器達到預期的速度，叫車公司優步的目標是成為該產業的核心。
On April 25th it held an event in Dallas to announce its plan to offer a service where people can hail an electric “vertical takeoff and landing” vehicle and ride it quickly to destinations that would otherwise take hours in heavy traffic.
4月25日優步在達拉斯舉辦發布會，公布其新服務計劃——使人們能叫到可以垂直起飛和降落的交通工具，避開幾小時擁擠不堪的交通，快速地達到目的地。
Uber does not want to build these aircraft or landing pads itself, just as it does not own its own cars.
優步并不打算自己制造飛行器或者發射臺，就像它沒有汽車的所有權一樣。
Instead, it plans to collaborate with other companies.
相反，優步計劃與其他公司合作。
But Jeff Holden, Uber's chief product officer, does not exclude the possibility that the firm may at the outset own some aircraft, which he estimates will cost around $1m each.
但是其首席產品官Jeff Holden說不排除公司會在一開始擁有部分飛機的可能，他估計每架的成本大約是100萬美元。
The firm plans to have a prototype of its service ready by 2020.
優步計劃在2020年之前推出這項服務。
It will launch it first in Dallas and in Dubai, both cities where the authorities have deep aviation expertise and where people commute long distances.
首先它會登陸達拉斯和迪拜，這兩個城市有著優秀的航空專家和需要長距離出行的乘客。
The firm rather optimistically promises that the cost per aerial mile for passengers will be roughly that of its low-cost car service, UberX.
優步相當樂觀地承諾，其每英里航空收費將大體上和價格相對低廉的汽車服務UberX差不多。
There is plenty for manufacturers and services like Uber to overcome beyond gravity.
對于制造商和優步之類的服務商來說除了重力還要攻克許多難關。
For battery-powered models, range is limited and the charging rate remains slow.
比如，能供電的電池型號范圍有限而且充電速度慢。
Manufacturers will need to ensure that vehicles can take off and land quietly, if this new form of transport is to stand a chance in cities.
如果要在城市里占有一席之地，制造商要保證這種車輛能夠安靜地起飛降落。
How to oversee and license the new aircraft, which are subject to much tougher rules than cars, will be a subject of intense debate among rule-makers, who tend to move slowly and are just getting to grips with drones.
如何監管和授權這種新型飛機，其規則要比汽車嚴格得多，這些問題將成為規則制定者激烈探討的主題，而他們往往行動遲緩，并且才剛開始著手應對無人機。
Drivers of flying vehicles are also likely to require a pilot's licence, albeit perhaps a simplified “sports” licence.
飛行車輛的駕駛人員可能也需要飛行執照，雖然可能就是個簡化的“運動”證件。
The journey ahead will be a long one.
總之，這一切都還有很長的路要走。
譯文來源考研英語時事閱讀
