Dodge reveals electric Charger: the future of muscle cars

Dodge wants to reinvent the muscle car for the future, but clearly hasn’t forgotten about the past.

The US brand just revealed the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept, previewing the next-generation Charger and the idea of an ‘eMuscle car’ that swaps its Hellcat V8 engine for electric motors.

But Dodge clearly understands that this is a seismic change for the muscle car market, so has tried to find ways to retain the elements of muscle cars that buyers love - including the looks, sound and driving experience. To that end the company has developed three new patent-pending features that it believes retains those elements.

First up it’s the ‘R-Wing’, an aerodynamic wing at the front that has allowed the company to retain the classic Dodge profile even though electric cars need to be shaped as much by the windtunnel as the designer’s pen. In fact, as the name implies, Dodge has taken inspiration from the 1970 Charger Daytona for the styling and because it was aerodynamically honed to become the first NASCAR to break 200mph.

Under the bonnet the Hellcat has been replaced by Banshee, the new marketing name for the 800-volt electrical system that features at least two motors for all-wheel drive performance.

Dodge's eMuscle car is packed with new technology.

Dodge is keeping power and torque figures quiet for now, but it doesn’t intend to stay quiet for long - quite the opposite in fact.

The second new invention for this concept is called the ‘Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust’ and it’s designed to make this electric car as loud as a V8. Dodge claims the system allows the concept to make up to 126dB.

Finally, there’s what the company is calling the ‘eRupt Multi-speed transmission’, which creates the sensation of changing gears; something missing on electric cars as they typically have a single-speed transmission. It also includes a ‘PowerShot’ push-to-pass feature that provides a sudden burst of acceleration.

Dodge brand chief executive officer Tim Kuniskis explained that the decision to switch to electrification was driven by the search for more performance, not simply green credentials.

“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it,” Kuniskis said. “Dodge is about muscle, attitude and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the BEV segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations, and performance features that embody the electrified muscle of tomorrow. The Charger Daytona SRT Concept can do more than run the car show circuit; it can run a blazing quarter-mile. And when it comes to product cycles, it outruns Darwin. Charger Daytona does more than define where Dodge is headed, it will redefine American muscle in the process.”