President Obama’s recent trip to China yielded big news for electric vehicle owners: He and Chinese President Hu Jintao have come together, agreeing to have both countries collaborate on developing standards that will help get electric vehicles on the road in a quicker, less expensive manner.

The two nations will look for ways to implement joint product and testing standards for EVs, including plugs and batteries. They are also looking into “joint demonstrations” that will combine US cities with Chinese cities. Once these parings are made, they will essentially compare notes, helping each other improve their technology.

Meanwhile, a joint task force will be formed to look at ways to improve the manufacturing, introduction and use of electric vehicles, and the two countries will produce materials for their citizens that will educate them on the many virtues of EVs.

This is a huge piece of news for anyone associated with the electric car industry. Consider that the United States and China are the world’s two largest automotive markets, and that, prior to now, they both have invested large sums of money in EVs separate and apart from each other. One can only imagine the progress they can make by working together!

Below is the US and China Fact Sheet released by the White House to  display how they plan on helping each other in the progression of electric vehicle.

US-China Fact Sheet Electric Vehicles