BEIJING - China's output of storage batteries to power new energy vehicles (NEV) edged up by 6.4 percent year-on-year in July, rebounding from a 16.2-percent decrease in June, industry data showed.

The output stood at 6.1 gigawatt-hours last month, and the sector's total output in the first seven months of the year plummeted by 39.8 percent to 29.6 gigawatt-hours, according to the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance.

In July, the installed capacity of the batteries came in at 5 gigawatt-hours, up 6.8 percent both from the previous month and the same period last year, showed the data.

A total of 45 storage battery companies in the NEV market reported their batteries installed last month, three companies less than in June.

Sales of NEVs in China posted robust growth in July, with a total of 98,000 NEVs were sold last month, up 19.3 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.