China is forecast to become the world's biggest market for electric vehicles this year with sales estimated at 220,000 to 250,000 vehicles, the official news agency Xinhua said on Sunday, quoting the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

 

Worldwide EV sales are expected to increase to 600,000 this year, said Xu Yanhua, the association's deputy secretary-general, during an industry conference.

 

China is poised to surpass the United States as the world's biggest market for EVs, said Xu, who estimated the U.S. market at 180,000 vehicles.

 

China's EV industry is developing rapidly, but quality and not just quantity should be the focus for the market's growth to be sustainable, Xu said. Safety and the quality of batteries should be carefully supervised, she noted.

 

Over the past two years, China's EV market has experienced explosive growth, thanks to generous government subsidies and tax cuts.

 

In the first 10 months of this year, sales of electric cars and light trucks surged 290 percent year on year to 171,145 vehicles, according to the association's data.