Ever since some English textile magnates dreamt of adding an inch to every Chinese shirttail in the 19th century, foreign companies have sought to supply the world’s most populous¹ market with a product that the people of China want and local industry cannot provide.

自19世纪一些英国纺织业大亨梦想让每个中国人的衬衣下摆加长一英寸以来，外国企业一直试图为这个世界人口最多的市场提供一种中国民众想要、当地厂商提供不了的产品。

Alejandro Agag, chief executive of the Formula E electric car championship, may have just such a product. And better yet in a country where overseas businesses prosper² when they align³ their interests with the powers that be, it may also be a product that can help a senior Chinese Communist party official keep his job.

电动方程式(Formula E)锦标赛首席执行官阿雷让德罗阿加戈(Alejandro Agag)或许刚好有这样一种产品。而且，更好的是，在一个外国公司只有在自身利益与当权者的利益保持一致时才能壮大的国家，该产品或许还可以帮助一名共产党高官保住自己的职位。

Last year Beijing’s mayor rashly promised to resign — or “offer up my own head” as he put it — if the Chinese capital’s notorious air pollution was not cleaned up by 2017.

去年，北京市长王安顺轻率地许诺：到2017年治理不好中国首都臭名昭著的空气污染，他就辞职——或者用他的话说“提头来见”。

For a while it looked like Wang Anshun’s job and head were safe, with even the likes of Greenpeace saying this year that Beijing’s air quality was improving. In recent weeks, however, there has been a return of extremely hazardous⁴ smogs reminiscent of the “airpocalypse” that descended⁵ on Beijing three years ago. Outraged⁶ local residents have been quick to remind Mr Wang of his pledge.

有一阵子，王安顺的职位和脑袋看来还是安全的，甚至像绿色和平(Greenpeace)这样的机构都表示北京今年的空气质量有所改善。然而，最近几周，极具毒害的雾霾又回来了，这让人们回想起三年前曾降临北京的“空气末日”(airpocalypse)。愤怒的北京民众立刻提醒王安顺，别忘记自己的承诺。

That’s where the Formula E championship, now in its second season, comes in. Billed as a cleaner, greener alternative to Formula One motorsport, Formula E recently held the opening race of its 2015-16 calendar in Beijing. It may help to boost the appeal of electric vehicles, which have failed to capture the popular imagination despite tax and registration⁷ incentives⁸ introduced by Chinese policymakers.

这正是电动方程式锦标赛（目前正在举办第二个赛季）来到北京的原因。号称比一级方程式(Formula One)更清洁、更环保，电动方程式近期在北京举行了2015-16赛季的首场比赛。该赛事或许有助于提升电动汽车的吸引力——尽管中国政策制定者在税收及牌照方面出台了激励措施，电动汽车一直未能获得中国民众的青睐。

While monthly sales of electric vehicles have soared from 6,500 units in January to more than 34,000 in October, they account for a tiny percentage of the world’s largest car market. Even Tesla, which sparked a brief surge of interest when it entered China last year, has struggled to maintain traction⁹.

虽然电动汽车月销量从1月的6500辆飙升至10月的3.4万辆，但它们在中国这个全球最大汽车市场中所占比例非常小。甚至连去年进入中国时曾短暂掀起一股热潮的特斯拉(Tesla)，也在艰难地维持着品牌吸引力。

Chinese drivers’ concerns about the availability of electric charging facilities and falling oil prices have reinforced their traditional preference for petrol power, contributing to the country’s environmental crisis. Yesterday Beijing introduced a series of emergency “red alert” pollution measures, one of which restricts car owners to driving only on alternate days.

中国司机对于充电设施便利性的担忧以及油价下跌加强了他们对燃油动力汽车的传统偏爱，进一步加剧了中国的环境危机。近日，北京发布了空气重污染“红色预警”，并宣布了一系列紧急治污措施，其中包括实施机动车单双号限行。

Mr Agag reckons Formula E can succeed where Tesla has so far failed by generating sustained interest in electric vehicles in China — and perhaps even solve some of the technical challenges that have impeded¹⁰ the industry’s development.

阿加戈认为，电动方程式能够通过在中国激起对电动汽车的持久兴趣，完成特斯拉迄今未竟之业——或许还可能解决一些阻碍电动汽车产业发展的技术难题。

After an inaugural¹¹ season in which Formula E competitors raced identical cars, this year the rules were changed to allow the circuit’s 10 teams — including a Chinese one — to develop their own vehicles. The result has been a technological¹² arms race. “Teams have started developing their own technology,” Mr Agag says. “Of the 10 teams, we have seven different power trains. That is what will make possible advances that will filter down to road cars.”

在首个赛季中，参赛选手驾驶的都是同一款赛车，而今年的规则做了修改，允许参赛的10支车队（包括一支中国车队）研发自己的赛车。这引发了一场技术竞赛。“各队已经开始研发自己的技术，”阿加戈说，“10支车队中，有七种不同的动力传动系。这样才能带来日后有望应用到公路车辆上的进步。”

Formula E cars have boosted their energy “recovery” rate — by capturing and reusing energy expended¹³ on braking, for example — to 18 per cent, against initial expectations of just 10 per cent. Thanks to such innovations, the championship’s cars may be able to double their range in five years.

电动方程式比赛用车将“能量回收率”提升至18%（例如，通过吸收和再利用制动消耗的能量），而最初的预期仅为10%。得益于此类创新，该赛事用车有可能在五年内将可行驶里程翻倍。

In addition to technology wars under the hood¹⁴, Formula E is deploying¹⁵ audience engagement gimmicks¹⁷ to appeal to a younger, smartphone-addicted audience that is quickly bored by cars driving around in circles.

除了引擎盖下的技术战，电动方程式也致力于开发观众参与环节，以吸引较年轻的、沉迷于智能手机的观众——因为他们可能很快就会对转圈行驶的赛车感到厌倦。

The three most popular Formula E drivers — determined¹⁸ by fan votes cast before and at the start of each race — get to deploy¹⁶ a “fan boost” of additional electric power. “Formula E is a mix between a race and a video game,” says Mr Agag. “We need to catch the new generation which is abandoning motorsport at an incredible speed. If you don’t offer them what they want and what they like, they will just not be there.”

人气最高的三名电动方程式车手——在每轮比赛开始之前以及开始时由车迷投票评选出来——可以获得作为“粉丝动力”的额外电力。“电动方程式是赛车与电子游戏的结合，”阿加戈说，“我们需要吸引新一代人，他们正在以不可思议的速度抛弃赛车运动。如果不提供他们想要和喜欢的东西，他们是不会来的。”

Such reality television type tricks may make purists groan¹⁹. But there is no denying that giving fans the ability to influence outcomes has a special vicarious appeal in authoritarian²⁰ China, where people do not have the liberty of voting out mayors who cannot clean up the air.

这种类似电视真人秀的把戏可能会令正统主义者不满。但无可否认的是，赋予车迷影响比赛结果的能力在威权统治下的中国具有特殊的吸引力——让人间接地体验到权利——因为这里的人们没法通过选举让治霾不力的市长下台。