We have known for a while that 2023 is set to be the final year of internal combustion engine power for the Dodge Charger and Challenger. It is the way everything in the automotive world is going right now as electrification becomes the name of the game. And Dodge has also made it clear that an electric version of the Charger is coming, but we have been, for a while, left to wonder what that electric future for the muscle car might look like. Well we don’t need to wonder anymore.
Dodge have now unveiled the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept. This is a vision of what the future of the Charger might look like, with the concept a fully fledged electric version of one of America’s finest and most popular muscle cars. Dodge says that the concept drives like a Dodge, looks like a Dodge and feels like a Dodge, and that it just happens to be a battery-electric vehicle. For the purists, this might seem sacrilege to turn the Charger into an EV. But we knew it was coming, and this is the first step to seeing it become a reality.
Getting To Know The Daytona SRT Concept
Dodge says that the car is a perception shattering concept that reimagines what the BEV can truly be and offers a glimpse into the brand's future. Gone of course is the famed SRT Hellcat engine, and in its place comes an electric drive-train with a truly unique sound. But that’s not all. Dodge says that they have three game-changing and patent-pending features on this electric muscle car. These are the R-Wing, the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust and the eRupt feature. But what exactly are all these features?
The R-Wing is a unique aerodynamic pass-through design feature connecting the concept with its Dodge Daytona namesake. The Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust Dodge say is an industry-first BEV exhaust, that can reach 126 dB to make the car as loud as a Hellcat-powered Dodge. This pushes the car’s sound through an amplifier and tuning chamber at the rear of the car. Finally, the eRupt is a multi-speed transmission with an electro-mechanical shifting experience that they say is pure Dodge. In effect, it is to make it feel just like shifting gears on a current Dodge muscle car, and there is also a PowerShot push-to-pass feature that delivers a burst of horsepower for increased acceleration.
Hellcat Replaced With Banshee
What exactly powers the concept? Well, the car has a new propulsion system, that joins the household names of the company such as Hemi, Hellcat and Redeye. Dodge have called this new propulsion system Banshee. It is an 800V system that Dodge say makes their first electric vehicle faster than a Hellcat in all key performance measures. Dodge hasn’t given too much else away when it comes to that powertrain, and they are really keeping their cards close to their chest for now.
With the styling of the car, Dodge have tried to take nods from the muscle car past of the company while looking to the future. The R-Wing, for example, is an homage to the original Charger Daytona design. This allows air to flow through the front opening, to enhance the car’s downforce, and it is all incorporated into the car’s performance hood. Future design features are visible with the front grille and the cross-car illuminated lighting. But that too features a nod to the past with the illuminated, white Fratzog badge, a symbol not seen on a Dodge muscle car since 1976.
More Design Features Of The Electric Charger
There is so much more to the styling of the car too. Some of the simple, vertical details on the front grille hark back to the 1968 Dodge Charger. The door handles are flush, adding to the minimalist approach to the design and keeping the exterior super smooth, and the new hatchback design is highly functional, according to Dodge. The interior is modern and lightweight, and features your usual piece of tech such as the 12.3-inch center screen, the largest ever for a Dodge, and the 16-inch instrument cluster is neatly curved to create a cocoon feel.
The Future Of Dodge Muscle Cars
This new concept very much indicates the direction in which Dodge muscle cars are going. It had to come eventually. The Hemi engine will one day no more, and we will instead be talking about the various iterations of the Banshee powertrain, at least when it comes to Dodge muscle cars anyway. But you can’t deny that it does indeed look like a Dodge thanks to its designers. The question we all want answering though is does it really feel like a Dodge and drive like a Dodge, and even sound like a Dodge? That is something we will have to wait a bit longer to find out.
Source: Stellantis Media