Dodge has revealed the all-new Charger, a legend in the American muscle scene that has controversially ditched its equally notorious Hemi V8 in favor of a straight-six combustion engine or an electric vehicle powertrain.
It is arguably the first muscle car to rely on battery packs and electric motors for propulsion, but Dodge claims Charger Daytona, to give it its full title, will “retain its title as the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car,” despite the lack of a growling V8 engine.
Instead, Dodge claims that its range-topping ‘Scat Pack’ electric Charger has dual electric motors that deliver power to both wheels for all-wheel drive, with a combined power output of 630bhp claimed. In addition, the American manufacturer has included a PowerShot button on the steering wheel, which provides an additional 40bhp for 15 seconds.
To satisfy traditional Dodge customers’ penchant for drag racing, this Powershot feature allows the electric Charger to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and reach 134 mph.
However, it is also quite practical, with a 400V electrical architecture offering a range of 260 miles in the high performance Scat Pack variants and 317 miles in the ordinary vehicles.
Fast charging speeds of up to 183kWh mean that a conventional 20-80% charge takes about 27 minutes. This high performance architecture also guarantees that the battery pack can discharge at rates of up to 550kW, which is far higher than the 500kW drawn by Scat Pack models, implying that Dodge consumers will be able to satiate their desire for tuning with even more powerful models in the future.
In terms of tuning, Dodge will offer a variety of packs and add-ons at the point of sale, allowing owners to customize their vehicles for whatever punishment they want to subject them to.
A Track Pack, for example, stiffens the springs and adds adaptive dampers for better cornering performance, while Brembo brakes provide additional stopping power.
A sound performance
Dodge has installed what it calls a “Fratzonic exterior sound generator” to fill the aural hole left by the removal of the iconic V8 burble, which is comparable to the external speaker system seen on the Abarth 500e.
According to the American brand, it produces a boisterous 126db ‘engine note’ that is matched to the accelerator for realistic blips of the throttle. Customers can turn this off, like they can with the Abarth 500e, allowing them to cruise silently.
Aside than that, the electric Charger and its V6-powered ICE sibling are identical, as both will be available in two-door and four-door configurations, and both will feature a 10.25in or 16in digital instrument panel augmented by a next-generation 12.3in infotainment display.
Pricing has yet to be announced, but Dodge claims the first cars will arrive in US showrooms by the end of the year. However, it remains to be seen whether the world’s first electric muscle car will be sold outside of the United States.
