Starting early to develop China's own energy-efficient and new-energy vehicles a decade ago, China now has an established industry with the research and development of three types of these vehicles and three key technologies at its core.

Zhang Laiwu, vice science and technology minister, made the remark Thursday at a press conference in Beijing, adding that China' s industrial pattern of green vehicles was relatively unique in the world, because of its early start to develop these vehicles.

According to Zhang, the three types of vehicles are hybrid, electric and fuel-cell vehicles, and the key technologies are about dynamic system, battery and engines of these vehicles.

China has the world's second largest number of vehicles, after the United States, and is the world's largest auto producer and market. With its economy projected to continue growing quickly during the next decade, China faces a daunting task in energy conservation and reduction of greenhouse gases emissions.

According to Zhang, developing the industry of energy-saving and new-energy vehicles is a key part of China's green drive. In fact, the industry of new-energy vehicles was pinpointed  early this month as an emerging industry of strategic importance by the central government.

A pilot program has begun to promote energy-efficient and new-energy vehicles in 25 cities, and the government has provided subsidies for the purchase of such vehicles. At the World Expo park in Shanghai alone, there are over 1,000 electric cars.

Among the types of new-energy vehicles, China had successfully established research and development platforms for technologies regarding the production of dynamic systems and key parts of electric cars, Liu Min, another official from the ministry's development and planning department, said at the press conference.

She noted that this was the result of a decade-long national program to develop electric cars, which received 2 billion yuan of central government funding.

She said 98 recharging stations and 325 recharging docks including two large ones for buses, had been built.

In developing these vehicles, China attached importance to standard setting and patent rights, and has drawn up 42 industrial standards and obtained more than 1,600 patents, she said.

The development of electric vehicles will soon get a further boost, as the ministry will issue plans for its development between 2011 and 2015, and another two central government departments are revising current policies to boost its development.

"We will encourage our emerging industries of strategic importance to compete and develop globally," Liu said.

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