China has 1.64 mln new-energy vehicles in commercial operation: official

HAIKOU, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- China has 1.64 million new-energy vehicles in commercial operation, including about 540,000 buses, 300,000 taxis and 800,000 urban-delivery vans, a senior transport official said Friday.

China has been increasing charging facilities along expressways to meet soaring demand, said Vice Minister of Transport Wang Gang at a new-energy vehicle conference in Haikou, capital of Hainan Province.

To date, 6,257 expressway service centers across the country have built charging facilities, accounting for 94 percent of the total number of expressway service centers.

Eleven provincial-level regions, including Beijing, Jilin and Zhejiang, have charging piles in every expressway service center, which helps ensure easy transportation for the public, Wang said.

Speaking of future development, the vice minister said the country will study and formulate relevant industrial supporting policies to further accelerate the promotion and application of new-energy vehicles in the transportation industry.