In the first half of the year, China's new energy vehicle sector saw a boom in production and sales, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

From January to June, the country's manufacturers produced 177,000 new energy vehicles, a rise of 125 percent compared with the same period last year, and sales rose to 170,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 127 percent.

Production of electric cars, which account for the majority of new energy vehicles, soared to 134,000 units in the first half, a rise of 161 percent year-on-year, while sales reached 126,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 162 percent.

In response to the fast-rising number of electric cars on China's roads, the National Energy Administration has been working to build more charging facilities nationwide.

China had 81,000 public charging poles by the end of June, a 65 percent increase from the same period last year, it said.

Nationwide, the number of private charging poles rose by 12 percent in the first half to 25,000, and new energy cars used 600 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, equal to the energy produced by 200,000 metric tons of gasoline.

More than 600 private companies have invested in the construction of charging poles, hoping to cash in on the potential business opportunities resulting from the introduction of policies to encourage the use of electric vehicles.

So far this year, the NEA has spent 4 billion yuan ($600 million) to support charging projects in 29 provinces and regions, and the total investment in those projects was more than 40 billion yuan, it said.

Dong Yang, deputy head of the vehicle manufacturers' association, said the industry will continue to work to ensure the safety of the charging process and improve the quality of the facilities, aiming to provide both safety and convenience for electric car users.

(China Daily 08/16/2016 page12)