BEIJING -- China's output of storage batteries to power new energy vehicles (NEVs) leaped 161.7 percent year-on-year to reach 19.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in August as its NEV industry continued to boom, industrial data showed.

The output of lithium iron phosphate batteries stood at 11.1 GWh last month, jumping 268.2 percent from a year ago, data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance showed.

China also produced 8.4 GWh of ternary lithium batteries during the period, up 91.5 percent year-on-year, the data showed.

Sales of NEVs in China hit a record high of 321,000 units last month, up 180 percent year-on-year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

In the first eight months, NEV sales surged 190 percent year-on-year to 1.8 million units in the country, the data showed.