The time for electrification has also come for muscle cars: Dodge has unveiled the Charger Daytona SRT Concept, a first taste of what the stars and stripes sports of tomorrow will be like. The shapes are square and faithful to those of the classic sports cars of the American house, but under the hood there is no big V8, but an 800 Volt electric architecturewith a system capable of playing a artificial sound up to 126 dB. With performance, assures Dodge, superior to that of the current more powerful petrol models.
Dodge, goodbye to the V8
Just a few days ago, Dodge has launched new model year versions of the Charger and Challenger, all distinguished by the presence of the “Last call” plate. This is, for the two muscle cars, the final act of their careers, but also the swan song of their petrol V8 engines. The future of Dodge is indeed all electrified, and it won’t be long before we see the green transition of the historic sports brand with stars and stripes.
Dodge’s first major step towards full electrification of its muscle cars is the Charger Daytona SRT concept: a prototype that combines traditional lines, inspired by those of the first generation Cherger of the 60s, with a zero-emission powertrain. The House has not disclosed information on the number of engines and the overall power of the future electric sports car, confirming however that performance will be superior to current SRT Hellcat modelswhich instead rely on the traditional V8 Hemi with over 700 horsepower.
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Electric, but thermal sensations
The idea followed by Dodge is to give drivers electric muscle cars sensations similar to those of their petrol versions. So much so that the Charger Daytona Concept is equipped with a system that reproduces the sound of an internal combustion engine. The artificial noise reaches 126 dB, the same value as a V8 engine from a Dodge Hellcat. In addition, the eRupt transmission has been developed in such a way as to give the driver a feeling reminiscent of a mechanical shift.
Unlike the bodywork, inspired by the Dodges of the past, the cockpit of the concept looks futuristic, with two 16 ”and 12” 3 screens, an 8 ”head-up display and a row of red LEDs that runs along the entire dashboard. Through the controls on the steering wheel, then, you can choose the driving mode between 4 options: Auto, Sport, Track and Drag.
It is still unclear whether the Charger Daytona SRT Concept will become a production model, or will only act as a laboratory car to experiment with solutions that we will then see on different cars. What is certain, however, is that Dodge’s electric revolution will not be long in coming: the current petrol-powered Chargers and Challengers will only be produced until 2023, then it will be the turn of the electric sports cars the task of continuing the legend of American muscle cars.
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Dodge Charger Daytona SRT, here is the electric muscle car of the future