Beijing's new energy vehicle output exceeded 100,000 units in the first half of the year, which is 3.5 times that of last year during the same period, representing a significant step forward in the city's efforts to promote new energy vehicles, according to a news conference held by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology on Friday.

On July 21, the Beijing government announced that it would issue an additional 20,000 new energy vehicles license plates to address the vehicle needs of households without a car. This move is expected to further drive the adoption of new energy vehicles in Beijing and stimulate consumer enthusiasm for purchasing these vehicles. This initiative will complement the "trade-in" policy, further boosting new energy vehicle consumption in the city.

On Thursday, China introduced a new policy to encourage the trade-in of more polluting vehicles for new energy vehicles or fuel-efficient cars. Under this policy, consumers who scrap vehicles meeting China III emission standards or below, or new energy vehicles registered before April 30, 2018, will receive a one-time fixed subsidy during their purchase for new cars.

The subsidy amounts to 20,000 yuan ($2,758) for replacing old cars with new energy vehicles, and 15,000 yuan for those opting for new vehicles with a displacement of 2.0 liters or less, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

In April, Beijing announced plans to vigorously promote the application of new energy vehicles, especially in the public sectors. By 2025, 36,300 new energy vehicles will be deployed as public buses, sanitation vehicles, taxis, express delivery vehicles, logistics and airport vehicles, and heavy-duty trucks.

As of the end of June, the number of new energy vehicles in Beijing had reached 870,000, with an increase of 97,000 units during the first half. Significant progress has also been made in the construction of charging infrastructure, with a total of 380,700 charging piles built across the city, including 65,200 added this year.

Overall, in the first half of the year, Beijing's industrial output surpassed 1.2 trillion yuan, achieving a year-on-year increase of 7.1 percent, which is 0.9 percentage points higher than the national average, according to the news conference.

Li Boyu contributed to this story.