Does Your Charger Have a Charge?: Dodge Reveals Electric Models After Killing Off Muscle Cars

Dodge unveiled its new electric concept car, the Charger Daytona SRT, this week, marking the company’s first all-electric car that may replace the popular Challenger and Charger muscle cars. When the company announced it was killing off its powerful sedans, it said, “We are celebrating the end of an era — and the start of a bright new electrified future — by staying true to our brand.”

CNBC reports that Dodge has unveiled a new concept car called the Charger Daytona SRT, a preview of what may be its first all-electric muscle car expected to release in 2024. The two-door coupe is the first look at what may replace Dodge’s current gas-powered Challenger and Charger muscle cars.

Dodge Charger Hellcat (Dodge)

The Charger Daytona SRT also features several new technologies which aim to make the car feel and drive like a classic muscle car. During a media briefing, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said: “This car, we believe, will redefine American muscle.”

The concept vehicle looks like an updated version of the current Dodge Challenger with an added aerodynamic design. The front end features a large opening for air to pass through, which the company refers to as an “R-Wing.”

The front wing as well as the new “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” and “eRupt” multispeed transmission are patent pending, according to Dodge. The multispeed transmission and exhaust are interesting as electric vehicles only drive in one “gear” and are quite silent aside from required safety noises.

Although this is only a preview of a concept vehicle, Kuniskis says that much of the technology featured in the Charger Daytona SRT is expected to make it into the production vehicle. “This is not a science project,” he said. “It looks like a Dodge, sounds like a Dodge and drives like a Dodge.”

Kuniskis said that the 2024 production electric muscle car is expected to launch with three performance levels but will eventually be expanded to nine.

When Dodge announced that it was killing its popular muscle cars, the company described it as “the end of an era” and celebrated a “bright new electrified future.”