It’s easy to assume that the age of muscle cars is coming to an end as electrification takes hold and automakers are forced to ditch the internal combustion engine. For everyday cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs, electrification isn’t that big a deal as long as we can get past range anxiety, charging times, and sticker price. When it comes to sports cars and muscle cars, on the other hand, there aren’t too many enthusiasts out there that are madly in love with the idea of ditching fuel, fire, and burbly exhaust for electrons, charging cables, and fake engine noise.
Dodge, however, sat down and evaluated the question: What is a muscle car? Is it the muscular appearance? Is it the fuel-gulping V-8 under the hood, or is it the noise that bellows out of the rear end as you rip away from a stop light like you’ve got somewhere to be without a care in the world? That’s a tough question to answer, and any muscle car enthusiast will probably give you a slightly different answer that includes at least something from that list. Dodge, however, has revealed the Charger EV Concept as a preview of what the future of electric muscle cars can look like. Is it good enough? We’ll know that answer soon enough, but for now, let’s talk about everything we know about the world’s first true electric muscle car.
The Dodge Charger EV Will Be A Mean Machine
Dodge hasn’t officially revealed any truly important information about the production version of the Charger electric muscle car – for now, all we’ve seen are production-ready concepts and promises. However, when the brand revealed the Charger Daytona SRT Concept Stryker Red at the 2022 SEMA show, it did reveal some information about its plans for electrified performance, and in those plans lies what we can expect from the world’s first electric muscle car.
As it turns out, there will be two different trim classes: Charger 340 and Charger 440. In its very base form, the Charger EV will be good for 455 horsepower. Thanks to what Dodge is calling “eStage kits,” you’ll be able to buy more horsepower over the air, download the software, and install it to the car. You’ll receive a “DC Crystal Key” and fender badges after ordering, with the former being used to authenticate the upgrade and unlock the power. With this setup, the base Charger 340 can be upgraded to produce 495 horsepower or 535 horsepower.
The same deal goes for the Charger 440, which starts out at 590 horsepower. The DC Stage 1 kit pushes total system output to 630 horsepower while the DC Stage 2 kit bumps you up to 670 horsepower. But, we’re leaving an era where Dodge was extracting much more horsepower than that from a V-8 engine, with cars like the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 being capable of producing as much as 1,025 horsepower. Obviously, based on the success of Dodge’s high-performance ambitions (and its desire to cram a hellcat in almost anything), 670 horsepower isn’t going to be enough for everyone.
The solution to that problem is the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee. Unlike the other models that we’ve discussed here, the Banshee will run on an 800-volt architecture as opposed to the 400-volt setup. Like the lesser models, there will be a base model Banshee and the ability to install two different upgrades. How much power the Banshee has from the factory is a mystery, as is how much horsepower the DC kits will add to the mix. Considering the Banshee is, essentially, the new-age Hellcat, 707 horsepower at the base level isn’t out of the question. And, it would make sense considering the 440 DC Stage 2 tops out at 670 horsepower. Then again, the difference between the 349 DC2 and base level 440 is 65 horsepower, so the Banshee could go well beyond 707 horsepower at the base level.
These figures are actually good news, as Dodge is looking to keep all performance enhancements to its future electric vehicles under its roof. That's right, Dodge has already vowed to not give tuners access to its EV models, which is probably where that unique DC Crystal key" verification system comes into play.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT 340 | Charger 440 | Charger Daytona SRT Banshee | |
|---|---|---|---|
Electrical System | 400-Volt System | 400-Volt System | 800-Volt System |
Power Output | 455 Horsepower | 590 Horsepower | 750 Horsepower (est) |
DC Stage 1 Upgrade | 495 Horsepower | 630 Horsepower | 800 Horsepower (est) |
DC Stage 2 Upgrade | 535 Horsepower | 670 Horsepower | 900 Horsepower (est) |
The Charger EV’s Range Might Not Be An Issue
The 2024 Dodge Charger EV will ride on Stellantis’ new STLA platform. Well, to be clear, the STLA is actually a range of platforms, and the Charger EV will ride on the STLA Large version. This version of the STLA platform is capable of supporting battery sizes ranging from 101-118 kWh, which means Dodge could extract as much as 500 miles of range with the right weight optimization and the biggest battery.
This wouldn’t make the Charger EV the longest-range EV on the planet. The Lucid Air, for example, has a 112-kWh battery pack and dishes out just shy of 520 miles of range on a single charge. Even if the Charger EV is impossibly heavy like EVs tend to be, even 450 miles per charge will be great, and with charging rates as fast as 20 miles per minute, it won’t take long to juice back up when you start to run low.
You Might Not Miss The V-8 As Much As You Think
As an enthusiast myself, I tend to lean more to the side that isn’t exactly happy that high-performance engines are going away. It may be a necessity, but there’s something about the nature of an engine that really does feel like it’s the heart or soul of a car. With electric cars, despite driving no less than 7 different models, I’ve never gotten the same feeling. Unfortunately, it will probably be the same deal as the Dodge Charger EV.
However, Dodge is taking a route that has been somewhat controversial in the past: sound synthesizing. It won’t be as ridiculous as you might think, though, as we’re talking about something called a Fratzzonic Chambered Exhaust System that will emit a 126-decibel roar that’s nearly identical to that of the Hemi V-8. While it won’t likely be as good as the real thing, with an open mind, it might not be that bad of a way to deal with the transition to electric cars.
Dodge Charger EV Pricing and Availability
Considering the fact that all we’ve seen so far are concept cars, there’s no official data on pricing or availability. It’s been more than a year since the Charger SRT Concept was revealed, which means a 2024 reveal and sale date isn’t out of the question. Pricing will probably be a little higher on the scale than you might expect. Because of the potential demand for high-performance models like the Banshee (an assumption based on the demand for the Hellcats and Demons in the world), Dodge could – in theory – sell the Charger 340 EV at a slight loss with the higher trims making up the difference.
Either way, don’t expect the Charger Daytona SRT EV to start much below $50,000 or $60,000 with the Banshee likely coming in closer to $100,000.