HOUSTON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) forecast a 60-percent increase in the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) in China, which already accounts for the lion's share of EVs worldwide.

At CERAWeek, an annual energy conference organized by U.S. business company IHS Markit in Houston, Texas, SGCC's Executive Vice President Wang Min said there were 3.2 million EVs around the world by the end of last year. More than half of them, or 1.7 million, were in China.

"About 500,000 EVs are expected to be sold in the Chinese market in 2018, up 60 percent over 2017," Wang said.

SGCC has built the world's largest Internet of Vehicles (IoV) network in terms of coverage and the number of devices, connecting 17 charging facility operators and providing access to about 170,000 charging piles, he told the gathering.

Besides using cutting-edge technologies, such as big data and cloud computing, SGCC has also achieved universal plug-in and payment methods for most charging piles nationwide. EV owners can use a mobile phone app to locate nearby charging piles.

The quick charging facilities built by SGCC cover 150 cities across China and along a 31,000-km stretch of highways.