BEIJING - China's output of storage batteries to power new energy vehicles (NEVs) rose 151.9 percent year-on-year in March, industry data showed.

The output stood at 11.3 gigawatt-hours last month, according to the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance.

In the first quarter, the total output reached 32.8 gigawatt-hours, up 296.5 percent year-on-year.

In March, the installed capacity of the batteries came in at 9 gigawatt-hours, soaring 224.8 percent from the same period last year, showed the data.

Sales of NEVs in China increased by 2.8 times year-on-year in the first quarter amid the steady recovery of the country's automobile sector, the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

In the first three months, NEV sales amounted to 515,000 units. In March alone, NEV sales surged 2.4 times year-on-year to reach 226,000 units, the data showed.