The new Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV Concept is an electric performance coupe unveiled by Dodge to carry the company’s loud brash legacy forward and become “the future of electrified muscle.” The concept car features an 800-volt “Banshee” propulsion system. It has a futuristic idle sound; while a prod of the throttle produces a wild sound which is one of three game-changing, patent-pending features Dodge says will rewrite the rules of the BEV segment.
The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV is all-wheel drive and powered by a new 800V propulsion system Dodge has christened Banshee and, though Dodge hasn’t released any information on outputs, battery size or range and it’s detailed various components and features.
The Daytona SRT is an ambitious concept, but whether it can live up to all the missions it claims to fulfill remains to be seen. A production version of the car could come as early as 2024, and only then will we know whether an electric car can also be a muscle car.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV Specs and Features
| Daytona SRT
|
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| Manufacturer | Dodge |
| Vehicle Type | Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) |
| Transmission | eRupt |
| Vehicle Class | Muscle |
| Power Input | 800V |
| Special Features | R-Wing and Fratzonic Exhaust |
The other two game changing features of Daytona SRT aside the loud muscle exhaust are the R-Wing, a unique aerodynamic pass-through that resembles a rear spoiler on the concept’s front end and enhances downforce, and the eRupt, a multi-speed transmission with an electro-mechanical shifting experience.
The rest of the exterior, evocative of the original Charger’s shapely silhouette, builds on smooth lines and an athletic stance, though the Daytona SRT’s front and rear lights and overall profile are clearly still an evolution of the current Charger and Challenger.
Though Dodge hasn’t yet shared any performance or powertrain details for the concept, it claims that the Daytona SRT will be faster than its Hellcat V-8–powered cousins “in all key performance measures.” Parent Stellantis has previously confirmed vehicles on the STLA Large architecture will offer electric motors that each produce between 150 and 330kW of power. That points to as much as 660kW from a production version, more even than the 603kW-626kW outputs of the outgoing Challenger SRT Demon.
The concept wears the Charger Daytona SRT nameplate for a number of reasons, and not just because the name “Charger” goes hand-in-hand with an EV. The Charger Daytona was the first vehicle to break 200mph (322km/h) on a NASCAR track back in 1970, while the Charger Daytona SRT Concept’s styling features numerous heritage design cues.
That includes Dodge’s old Fratzog logo, used from 1962 to 1976, which is featured at both the front and rear and illuminated. It’ll be used on Dodge’s electric vehicles, with the two slashes or Rhombi being used on combustion-powered models like the new Hornet.
The hips have almost coke-bottle contours like iconic Dodge models of the late 1960s and early 1970s, while the full-width assembly incorporating the headlights is strongly reminiscent of the 1968-70 Charger and is designed to make the Charger instantly recognizable at night.
Charger purists who scoffed when Dodge resurrected the nameplate for a sedan back in 2006 will be pleased to see the name return to a coupe, though Dodge says it actually has a hatchback.
With rear seats that fold flat, Dodge says the concept is “a beast at the track that can still meet every day needs” and offers “unexpected utility and storage capacity from a muscle car”.
The concept is finished in Greys of Thunder, per Dodge’s tradition of giving its colors playful names, while there are carbon-fibre intakes at both the front and rear to improve aerodynamics.
There are flush door handles and 21-inch alloy wheels garnished with red Fratzog logos, behind which sit grey six-piston brakes.
Brushed aluminium “screaming” Banshee badges sit on the fenders, but Dodge says it has avoided excess decoration.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV Interior
Inside, there’s a driver-focused cockpit with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system angled towards the driver, while ahead of the steering wheel sits a curved 16-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display.
There’s dramatic ambient lighting wrapping around the dash and spilling onto the doors, and Dodge says the parametric texture found in the cabin pays homage to the 1968 Charger.
There’s a squared-off steering wheel, with the centre spoke not connected to the rim to give it a floating feel. Touch-capacitive switches can be found on the steering wheel as well as the doors. There’s a classic pistol-grip transmission shifter, while the start button is hidden under a jet-fighter inspired cap.
The racy sports seats are lightweight and slim and feature a perforated Fratzog pattern, while a panoramic glass roof lets plenty of light into the cabin.
Down back, there’s a carbon-fibre “tub” floor and hatch, while the Charger SRT Daytona concept promises more storage space than any Dodge muscle car prior.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust
The Charger Daytona SRT Concept features what Dodge calls a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, an “industry-first BEV exhaust” that can reach 126 dB. Sound is pushed through an amplifier and tuning chamber located at the rear of the vehicle. That makes it as loud as a Hellcat-powered Dodge.
Electric vehicles are known for being exceptionally quiet and, while some brands like Porsche and BMW have added artificial propulsion sounds for the cabin, Dodge has gone a step further with the Charger Daytona SRT.
The name “Fratzonic” is a variation on Fratzog, the moniker given to the logo featured on Dodge muscle cars in the ’60s and ’70s. That logo makes its return on the Daytona SRT, one of the many ways Dodge has tried to instill the concept with the brand’s history.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV concept R-Wing.
The Daytona SRT has a front opening called the R-Wing. The R-Wing is meant to provide better aerodynamics and enhance downforce, assisted by four intakes on the car’s front and rear, Inspired by the tall wing of the original 1969 Charger Daytona, the first NASCAR vehicle to hit 200 mph.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV eRupt Transmission
To give drivers the feeling of “distinctive shift points”, Dodge has bestowed the Daytona SRT EV with the all-new “eRupt” multi-speed transmission complete with pistol grip shifter.
But because electric motors have a much wider torque band than their internal combustion counterparts, what does shifting the new Charger EV actually do? Dodge claims this shifter is connected to a “multi-speed” transmission. The brand even specifies an “electro-mechanical shifting experience.” The Daytona SRT is also not the first electric car to depart from traditional direct-drive systems; the Taycan and e-tron GT both utilize a two-speed automatic gearbox.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV Release date and Price
Kuniskis said the 2024 production electric muscle car is expected to launch with three different performance levels but eventually expand to nine with release date and price still under speculation.
Automakers routinely use concept vehicles to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a vehicle or brand. The vehicles are not meant to be sold to consumers. However, Kuniskis says many of the Charger Daytona SRT’s technologies and design elements are expected to make it into a production vehicle.
“This is not a science project,” he said. “It looks like a Dodge, sounds like a Dodge and drives like a Dodge.”
Dodge declined to release expected price and performance metrics for the concept car or the yet-to-be-named production muscle car.
The forthcoming EV in 2024 will replace Dodge’s gas-powered Charger and Challenger muscle cars, which the automaker on Monday said would be discontinued at the end of 2023. The Daytona SRT is an ambitious concept, but whether it can live up to all the missions it claims to fulfill remains to be seen. A production version of the car could come as early as 2024, and only then will we know whether an electric car can also be a muscle car.