New energy vehicles are expected to account for 25 percent of all car sales in China by 2025, according to a plan released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Dec 3. [Photo/VCG]

The city of Xiamen now boasts 44,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs), 409 operational charging stations, and more than 8,000 installed EV chargers. It ranks among the top three cities in China in terms of the portion of vehicles in the city that are electric, according to a conference on the development of the NEV industry held in Xiamen on Dec 12.

The conference was attended by more than 300 industry leaders and experts from the NEV sector, universities, and research institutes. This included representatives from Beijing Electric Vehicle, the most popular electric brand in China for the past six years, and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, China's leading producer of lithium batteries.

In recent years, Xiamen has been attaching great importance to the development of the NEV sector, and has released a wide range of policies to support NEV research and development, promotion, and application. This has resulted in the formation of a complete NEV industrial chain in the city.

Xiamen Tungsten Co Ltd, relying on its technologically advanced rare earth materials and multiple lithium-ion materials, has grown into one of the country's leading suppliers of new energy materials. It produces and sells 38,000 metric tons of anode material for lithium-ion batteries every year, more than any other company in China.

At the conference, representatives held in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics, including the future prospects of the NEV sector, the security and high performance of lithium-ion batteries, and applications of core materials. A total of three cooperation agreements were signed, and it was agreed that the city should aim to develop a smart and green NEV sector.