China's booming sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids -- which quadrupled in 2015 -- are expected to double this year, predicted a senior government minister during a press briefing on Sunday.
Miao Wei, China's minister of Industry and Information Technology, told reporters that demand for EVs and plug-in hybrids will remain red-hot this year.
Miao made his prediction on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress.
Last year, combined sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids jumped 340 percent to 331,092 vehicles.
In the first two months of this year, combined sales of EVs and plug-ins jumped 170 percent year on year to 35,726 vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Despite those strong sales, Miao acknowledged that China's EV market still faces two big challenges: the lack of an extensive battery-charging network, and the poor quality and low energy density of the batteries.
In China, only EVs, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles are eligible for government subsidies. Conventional hybrids such as the Toyota Prius do not qualify.
Source:Automotive News China