A man charges his car at an EV charging station in Hohhot, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Feb 7. [Photo/hhhtnews]

An electric vehicle (EV) charging station was put into operation in Saihan district, Hohhot, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Feb 7.

Built by a new energy firm in Inner Mongolia, the station is the first of its kind in Hohhot.

It can provide charging services for up to seven electric vehicles at a time.

“For a full charge, it may take four to six hours. There is also a quick charging mode that brings charging time down to 26 minutes,” said a man working at the station.

He claimed that the cost was much cheaper compared with that of natural gas and gasoline.

New energy cars are gaining momentum in the nation's car market.

As of Jan 24, a total of 417 car owners in Hohhot have registered new energy vehicles, according to the city's vehicle administration department.

But the lack of an increase in the number of charging facilities is restricting the future development of the industry.

Authorities in Hohhot have recently mapped out a plan to solve the problem, with measures such as building 100 EV charging stations.