Vice-Premier Ma Kai stressed that efforts should be made to promote the use of new energy vehicles, regulate industry order, strengthen technology research and development, and ensure manufacturing quality during a tour in Shaanxi province.

He visited automobile manufacturing enterprises that make cars, batteries, key automobile components and charging facilities in Shaanxi province from July 5 to 7 and studied the development of new energy vehicles.

Ma also held a meeting during the tour and noted that China’s new energy industry has witnessed great achievements in recent years as the industry had been established and technology level improved.

As to the end of May this year, 628,000 new energy vehicles have been produced, making China the world’s No. 1 in terms of car parc, which means the total number of vehicles in the country or region.

But some things remain to be done in the future as the new energy vehicle industry is faced with challenges that include a shortage of charging facilities, incomplete market regulation, battery life and supporting policies, he said.

To drive China’s new energy vehicle industry to a higher level, more efforts need to be made, the vice-premier emphasized.

Charging services should be improved as construction of charging facilities will be boosted, he said.

Efforts need be made to promote the use of new energy vehicles in public transportation, the taxi industry, environmental sanitation, logistics and government agencies and build a unified and fair national new energy vehicle market.

Relevant technology research and development should be strengthened and construction of the national power battery innovation center should be soundly propelled, Ma stressed.

Meanwhile, high attention should be paid to quality of new energy vehicles. Safety technologies should be strengthened and regulation system should be improved.

The new energy vehicle industry should be regulated with efforts to optimize market access, clean unfair market competition and improve subsidy policies, the vice-premier added.