For years visitors to the Shenzhen headquarters of BYD, the world’s largest maker of electric vehicles (EVs), have been treated to(被招待/获得) an explosive safety demonstration. As they peer into(凝视/仔细看) a chamber made with thick protective glass, a drill bores into a conventional EV battery, which erupts into flames. Then one of BYD’s signature “blade” batteries(标志性的'刀片'电池) is similarly pierced—without the subsequent blast(爆炸).
多年来，前往全球最大电动汽车制造商比亚迪深圳总部的参观者，都能观看一场爆炸性的安全演示。当他们透过厚实的防护玻璃观察一个腔室时，一个钻头刺入传统电动汽车电池，电池瞬间起火。随后，比亚迪标志性的“刀片”电池也遭到同样穿刺——却没有随之发生的爆炸。
BYD was built around batteries. And its founder, Wang Chuanfu, created his car empire using the same rigid vertical integration that made them successful. That entails(包括/需要) everything from running its own lithium-processing plants to training its own artificial-intelligence models. On May 28th Mr Wang unveiled(发布/揭幕) a semiconductor(半导体), designed in-house(内部/自研), that he claimed was the world’s most powerful for self-driving.
比亚迪是围绕电池建立起来的。其创始人王传福运用了同样使其电池成功的严格垂直整合来打造他的汽车帝国。这包括从运营自己的锂加工厂到训练自己的人工智能模型的一切。5月28日，王先生发布了自主研发的一款半导体，声称是世界上最强大的自动驾驶芯片。
With far fewer middlemen(少得多的中间商) to deal with, BYD has managed to control costs even as they have surged(急剧上升) for others, turning out(生产出) ultra-cheap, high-quality models such as the Seagull, a compact EV that sells in China for around $10,000. Vertical integration is also credited with(被认为有（功劳）) speeding up innovation, as engineers from different divisions collaborate on common problems. When supply bottlenecks have held rivals back(阻碍了对手), BYD has been able to step on the accelerator. It churns out new models faster than most, with several brands at different price points, some with captivating, quirky(古怪有趣的) add-ons. Models from its luxury Yangwang brand can float in water or jump over potholes. One from Denza, another upmarket marque, can “crabwalk(蟹行/横着走)” sideways into parking spots. (It uses the brand “BYD” for its mass-market range.)
由于中间商少得多，比亚迪成功控制了成本，尽管其他公司的成本飙升。它推出了超低价高品质车型，例如在中国售价约1万美元的紧凑型电动车“海鸥”。垂直整合还被认为加快了创新，因为不同部门的工程师会共同解决常见问题。当供应链瓶颈阻碍竞争对手时，比亚迪能够踩下加速踏板。它推出新车型的速度比大多数厂商都快，拥有多个不同价位的品牌，有些还配备迷人、奇特的功能。其豪华品牌仰望的车型可以浮在水上或跳过坑洼。另一个高端品牌腾势的一款车型可以“蟹行”侧向泊车。（其大众市场系列使用“BYD”品牌。）
