BEIJING, July 31 -- China's electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure continued to increase in the first half (H1) of this year, thanks to the rapid expansion of the country's EV market.

By the end of June, the total number of charging piles in China reached 10.24 million units, an increase of 54 percent year on year, Zhang Xing, a spokesperson for the National Energy Administration (NEA) told a press conference Wednesday.

These facilities have met the charging needs of 24 million new energy vehicles across the country, Zhang added.

During the period, the country's new energy vehicles have consumed a total of 51.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, expanding 40 percent over the same period last year, according to Zhang.

The NEA has promoted the building of charging facilities in rural areas to tap the potential of EV sales, Zhang noted, adding that one-third of the country's provincial-level regions have built charging piles in towns and villages.

China's new energy vehicle market has steadily advanced in H1, with the production and sales of such vehicles up by 30.1 percent and 32 percent year on year, respectively, industry data have showed.