The automotive industry has had quite the time of it in 2019. It's been a busy year, with both positive and negative stories coming along throughout the past 12 months; but plenty to be encouraged about when it comes to green cars.

The electric vehicle industry in particular has had a pivotal year - and looks set to continue that theme into 2020. New models, improved infrastructure, and regulation changes all point to next year continuing what was started in this.

In 2019 we saw crucial foundations laid for the expansion of the electric vehicle market, whilst at the same time the general public became more aware of the benefits they can bring. At a time of unrest in the automotive industry - in the UK particularly - the good news is that the future is being sorted; and there's increasing demand for that future to arrive today.

Read on for NGC's round-up of 2019.

New electric models

To say that a number of important new electric cars have arrived or been launched in 2019 is something of an understatement. Early on in the year, Nissan showcased and then brought out its Leaf e+. The UK's best-selling electric car was being left behind by rivals, but a significant range improvement - followed by a subsequent price drop - means the Leaf e+ can stand toe-to-toe with rivals.

It's not just the Leaf where upgrades to popular EVs can be found. BMW's i3 120 Ah was launched at the end of 2018, but came to the UK from early 2019. Renault's Zoe went one stage further than a battery upgrade, with a largely new model. A bigger pack allows for a valuable increase in range, plus DC rapid charging is available for the first time. Importantly, the interior has been overhauled, while a new more powerful motor has been added to the line-up.

On top of that, Kia's e-Niro arrived in the UK, as did Audi's e-tron and the Mercedes Benz EQC. Plug-in hybrid models saw huge increases in numbers - both in terms of choice and availability. With changes to WLTP regulations coming in, supply for many PHEVs was limited, but these are coming back on song again. To coincide with that, manufacturers such as Volvo, Mercedes Benz, and BMW have added PHEV options to much of their range, and the entire range in the case of Volvo.

We're well set-up for the turn of the year too, as a number of manufacturers prepare to bring out their already revealed models. Volkswagen has the new Golf - set to arrive with two PHEV options - and vitally important ID.3 pure-electric hatch early in the new year.

Just as importantly is the PSA Group's roll-out of electric models. Peugeot has launched and will soon bring to the UK the e-208 and e-2008, Vauxhall start deliveries of the Corsa-e, and DS will do the same for the 3 Crossback E-Tense. These four are pure-electric models with ranges of 200+ miles and ultra-rapid charging capabilities at competitive prices in crucial markets - superminis and crossovers. All share a platform and powertrain, so will arrive en masse. PHEVs from the same group are due in similar numbers, in the also important family car markets.

The biggest success story of the year for EVs however is the Tesla Model 3. The latest figures show it out-selling everything in the EV market by a huge margin, and there's little to suspect that it won't continue to dominate the statistics when the year-end figures are released in a few months' time.

Easier EV charging

It's all well and good having new EVs coming online, but it will count for naught if there's no where to charge them. Thankfully, NGC's sister-site Zap-Map shows that this isn't really an issue. New EV charge points are being installed seemingly all the time, and the infrastructure is expanding rapidly.

There are three key themes present - increased numbers, faster charging, and improved access. The first sees big jumps in the number of EV charge points installed throughout the year of all variety. It's great news as public EV charging becomes available even in remote areas of the UK. There can always be arguments for more points, but the market is quickly doing its best to answer those questions, and infrastructure is good in most areas.

What's also improving is the speed of charge points available. The past year has seen the introduction of open-access ultra-rapid charge points to the UK - Tesla has offered them for years. It means charging times come down for a number of models, keeping recharging on a long trip to half an hour or less. By future-proofing many of the points available, it means that there are a number of chargers in the ground that can charge faster than any EV can accept.

Improved access covers a variety of subjects, but both using and paying for them are highlighted here. Increased numbers of charge points in one space has seen a shift from one or two chargers installed as the norm, to at least four units at any one spot being commonplace. Charging hubs are being developed with six or more rapid chargers, meaning EV drivers are more likely to find a charge point available when they park up.

On top of that, contactless access is being rolled out extensively on rapid units in particular. The ability to pay for EV charging as you would petrol or a supermarket shop - by tapping a contactless-enabled bank or credit card - means access is much simpler, both for experienced users and newcomers.

Industry partnerships

As regulations come into force that see stricter controls over car emissions, manufacturers have found the way to combat increased costs of rapid EV development is to partner up. Manufacturing groups exchanging brands or being bought out is nothing new, but 2019 has seen more deals than ever before - and include rival manufacturers in that count.

For example, the BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover are established rivals, but the two have agreed to develop EV powertrains and systems for their cars. Ford and Volkswagen have done the same thing, with VW having already proved the value of platform sharing across its own brands. It will gain further value still by sharing with Ford, which has also invested in EV start-up Rivian.

Japanese brands such as Toyota and Mazda - which once looked set to be left behind in terms of EV development - have agreed similar deals. It all goes to show that electric vehicles are the de facto agreed solution to manufacturers' emissions problems, and that getting good electric cars off the production line at an affordable rate has become a priority.

Return of the EV

This above point is showcased in part by the return of the pure-electric model in the sales charts. Only a year ago, it was common to see PHEVs outsell pure-EVs three to one, and at least two to one. This has changed significantly, and the pure-electric car market is now performing better than PHEVs if much of 2019 is anything to go by.

There are a number of factors driving this trend, all of which have a part to play - rather than any overriding reason. Firstly, supply of PHEVs dried up for much of the year as manufacturers were set to roll-out new models, and they removed older ones from sale in preparation for new emissions restrictions.

Secondly, supply of pure-EVs increased as manufacturers built more of them, and new manufacturers brought out pure-electric models. Demand still far outstrips supply, but the situation is improving and getting better.

Thirdly, consumer confidence and awareness improved. The latter is largely thanks to increased exposure, both of EVs and climate-related news, while the former is down to increased range available on a charge. Just a year or two ago, a typical new EV range would have been around 125 miles on a charge. It's now easy to spend the same amount on a mass-market EV and expect anything between 200 and 300 miles of range.

All of which goes to prove that it's been an action-packed year for NGC and the car industry as a whole. These trends are only going to continue and ramp-up over 2020, as manufacturers have to move more of their products into the green sector.

We hope that you have enjoyed our work on Next Green Car, with the news, reviews and features making for interesting reading. We continue to update our microsites, features, reviews, guides, analysis, and tools throughout the year too, so hope that you will continue to visit in 2020 and beyond. But for now, let us sign off by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.