Dose the New Dodge Charger EV Live Up to the Brands Muscle Car Legacy?
For those lamenting the impending end of Dodge’s gas-powered muscle car, the Dodge has a message: fear not the future, for it is electric.
At an event at its Pontiac, Michigan-based base, Dodge unveiled its first electric muscle car, the Charger Daytona SRT concept. The two-door coupe is a sneak peek at the car manufacturer’s first EV, which is to enter manufacturing in approximately two years.
“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it,” stated Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis. Kuniskis added, “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.”
Before going into the specifications, we need to talk about the sound. EVs are, in most cases, quiet due to the lack of an internal combustion engine. Therefore much of what identifies a Dodge muscle car is the distinct noise of the Hemi engine. Dodge fans would be forgiven if they found it unappealing if they stepped on the accelerator, and this was the noise it made.
How would you define that sound? A lion that just got neutered?? An artificial engine sound is sure to be estranging amongst muscle car lovers. Some will enjoy it, while others, without a doubt, will find it leaves a lot to be desired. Dodge calls the “BEV exhaust noise” ( just an oxymoron) a first-of-its-kind. Whether it’s the best sound for this specific car is still debatable.
The look of modern muscle
However, the design of the Charger Daytona SRT concept is likely to be much less divisive, blurring the line between retro and futuristic while preserving a muscular and aerodynamic stance. Dodge stated the purpose is to “muscle aside” other, more boring-looking EV concepts for something more exciting.
Design cues that point to Dodge’s legacy can be noticed all over the car– amongst the most notable is the front end, featuring a substantial opening for air to travel through, which Dodge calls an “R-Wing”.
Other patent-pending functions that Dodge intends to highlight have just as absurd-sounding names. first is the “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” which Dodge claims can achieve 126 decibels, “making it as loud as a Hellcat-powered Dodge.” And the second is a multispeed transmission with an electro-mechanical shifting experience that Dodge calls “eRupt”.
Fratzonic” is a reference to Dodges logo back in the 1960s and ’70s called the “Fratzog,”-– a made-up word by a developer. It includes a split deltoid made from three arrowhead shapes that create a three-pointed star.
The new system forces sound via an amplifier and tuning chamber behind the car. Speaking to CNBC, Kuniskis associated it with a wind organ with chambers and pipes.
“We said, ‘OK, if it’s going to happen, let’s do it like Dodge,” Kuniskis informed the press. “We’re not going to go there and do the same thing. Dodge is going to get lost if we try to do the same thing as everybody else”.
Specifications? not yet
However, if what you seek are more relevant specifications, like range, battery capacity, or charging speed, you’ll need to wait. Dodge won’t publish performance metrics for the concept car or the yet-to-be-named production muscle car yet.
Dodge did announce that the concept is mounted on Dodge’s 800-volt Banshee propulsion system, which, if it gets into the production model as anticipated, should enable the EV to charge at speeds of as much as 350kW at a DC fast charging terminal. Additionally, all-wheel drive will guarantee that the Dodge Charger EV performs well in all conditions.
While EVs typically have greater acceleration than the majority of gas-powered vehicles thanks to “linear acceleration” that generates impressive 0– 100 kph times, they commonly lack the driving characteristics that many sports car owners appreciate. Dodge says it’s trying to close this gap by introducing new functions, like the eRupt electro-mechanical shifting. This function “delivers distinctive shift points, throwing shoulders into seatbacks in true Dodge style,” the firm claimed.
Similar to Tesla’s Ludicrous mode, the Dodge Charger EV will feature something called a “PowerShot push-to-pass feature.” By pressing a switch on the steering wheel, the PowerShot provides an “adrenaline jolt of increased horsepower for a quick burst of acceleration,” Dodge says.
Along with electric variations of Charger and Challenger models, Dodge-parent Stellantis also intends on manufacturing electric trucks, including a battery-powered Ram 1500 that would take on Ford’s upcoming F-150 Lightning. Dodge’s sister firms, like Jeep, Chrysler, and brands from the PSA Groupe, are additionally making EVs.
Originally published by: The Verge
