BEIJING - Chinese automakers produced 20,400 new energy vehicles in July, 3.5 times as many as the month last year, after the government promoted the sector, official data showed on Wednesday.

They produced 12,345 new energy passenger vehicles last month, up 159 percent year on year. Production of new energy commercial vehicles surged 677 percent to 8,045 units, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The July data brought total output of new energy vehicles in the first seven months to about 98,900 units, up 300 percent over the same period last year.

The MIIT did not provide figures for sales of such vehicles.

The Ministry of Commerce announced earlier this year that China will continue to build charging facilities in cities and allow tax exemptions and subsidies on new energy vehicle purchases.

In March, the Ministry of Transport set a target of having 300,000 new energy commercial vehicles on China's roads by 2020: 200,000 new energy buses and 100,000 new energy taxis and delivery vehicles.