VW Project Trinity to charge as fast as filling a fuel tank

The next-generation Volkswagen Project Trinity pure-electric sedan is set to raise the bar for long-distance range, charging speed and autonomous driving aids.

The headline news is that when the state-of-the-art sedan is released in 2026, it will be as quick to charge as it takes to refuel a conventional combustion car, thanks to its next-generation battery chemistry.

Volkswagen has yet to confirm the range of Project Trinity (the production version of which will be renamed) but has suggested it will be class-leading, potentially covering more than 1000km between top-ups.

The new VW EV will be significantly lighter than current battery-powered vehicles, and a new image also reveals it will feature an ultra-low drag coefficient designed to make it slip through the air.

When it's launched, Project Trinity will also debut the German car-maker's latest autonomous driving systems that, initially, will see it launch with Level 2-plus self-driving ability.

This will be rapidly upgraded with little more than over-the-air updates to ensure that, by 2030 at the latest, it will be capable of fully autonomous Level 4 driving in geofenced areas, allowing the driver to watch TV, read, or answer emails and texts on the move without having to monitor progress.

Volkswagen brand CEO Ralf Brandstätter described the flagship sedan as “a highly efficient flat-seat concept with an iconic design – our innovation leader".

“Trinity is a sort of crystallisation point for our Accelerate strategy, a lighthouse project, our software dream car,” he said.

Volkswagen Accelerate refers to the car-maker's recent announcement that it will roll out three EVs in 2021 and then one new battery-powered vehicle every year in an attempt to ensure that 70 per cent of its sales in Europe and 50 per cent in China are EVs.

Created to rival the next-generation Tesla Model S and the 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQS limousine, Project Trinity will maximise space in its luxurious interior, thanks to its long, wide proportions.

Set to match, if not better, its premium rivals on price, Brandstätter described the flagship sedan as a "global toolkit champion" and said its pioneering tech will filter down to more affordable VW models.

As part of a technological package designed to appeal to the tech-obsessed, owners of the Project Trinity sedan will be able to unlock features via a subscription service and an app on their smartphone, with plenty of new options offered as part of the over-the-air updates.