BEIJING — The number of newly registered new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China nearly doubled year-on-year in the first nine months, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security.

From January to September 2022, 3.71 million NEVs were registered, up 98.48 percent compared with the same period last year, with NEVs accounting for 21.34 percent of all new automobile registrations.

By the end of September, China had a total of 11.49 million NEVs operating on the roads, representing 3.65 percent of the total number of automobiles.

A total of 23.92 million new driving licenses were issued in the first three quarters of this year.

As of September, 82 Chinese cities hit the threshold of 1 million automobiles on the road. In particular, automobiles in Beijing surpassed 6 million, according to the ministry.