Automakers are expected to deliver 700,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in China this year, double the number of vehicle sold in 2015, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers predicts.

 

Combined sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids totaled 331,092 vehicles last year, soaring 340 percent year on year from 2014, the association said last week.

 

The 2015 tally includes 247,482 EVs and 83,610 plug-in hybrids. Among the EVs, 146,719 were passenger vehicles and 100,763 were commercial vehicles. Of the plug-in hybrids, 60,663 were passenger vehicles and 22,947 were commercial vehicles.

 

Only EVs, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell powered vehicles qualify for subsidies from the Chinese government. Conventional hybrids are not eligible. The association did not disclose sales of fuel-cell vehicles in 2015.

 

The Chinese government has gone all out to promote alternative-powered vehicles to reduce vehicle emissions and encourage development of EV technology by domestic automakers.

 

Under a blueprint drafted last year, the government aims to construct an additional 12,000 charging stations and 4.8 million charging poles across the country by 2020. By the end of 2014, China had 780 charging stations and 31,000 charging poles.

 

It has also set minimum EV sales targets for China's 27 provinces and four municipalities.

 

By doing so, the government expects domestic Chinese automakers to sell 1 million EVs and plug-in hybrids annually by 2020 and 3 million a year by 2025.