BEIJING — China will introduce green license plates for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 12 cities on Nov 20, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced on Nov 17.

The license plates will be expanded across the country in the first half of 2018, accelerating transformation of the automobile industry, said the MPS.

The green license plates are attractive in cities like Beijing where the local government uses license plate quotas to curb congestion and smog.

NEVs are well supported in China, with subsidies for buyers and expanding network of charging stations.

There are more than a million NEVs in China, with 825,000 being pure electric vehicles, according to the ministry traffic management bureau.