Details emerge of Volkswagen's all-new, Telsa-fighting high-volume electric car

Desperate to shake off the stench of Dieselgate, Volkswagen is working on all-new, stand-alone electric car to take on the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt.

Using new 48-volt on-board power supply technology that will deliver a range of at least 300km, the unnamed vehicle is understood to part of an innovative plan by newly-installed Volkswagen CEO, Dr Herbert Diess, to improve the brand’s image.

Dr Diess wants to make his mark in the automotive world with the world’s first high-volume electric car and although it will share much of its technology with the EV version of the upcoming eighth-generation VW Golf, it will do so with a lower cost.

Although it’s not clear whether the car will be a sedan or a hatch, it will offer unique styling and a potentially better cruising range than the e-Golf.

To be based on the same platform as the next e-Golf – dubbed MEB architecture – the zero emission battery-electric vehicle could be launched before the arrival of the Golf 8, expected in 2018.

However, Volkswagen has yet to decide whether the new EV or the Golf 8 e-Golf will reach the market first. Indeed, the waters are murky around this decision.

Volkswagen Australia has previously said the likelihood of offering electric versions of its cars here in the near future are slim, due to a lack of EV infrastructure and no tax incentives.

That said, the political and automotive landscape could be very different both in this country and globally by 2018.