Electric Dodge Charger Daytona SRT: What To Expect From The Electric Mopar Muscle Car (2024)

Jan. 18, 2024 8:37 PM ET by Lucia Forlini Cataldo Electric Vehicles / 11 Comments

Dodge has boldly robbed the world of the Hemi V8 in a muscle car, pledging an electric future for the likes of the Charger and Challenger. While there's a door left open for a six-cylinder muscle car to come, we know the pinnacle of Dodge's muscle car portfolio in the coming years will be electric, based upon the electric Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept revealed in 2022 by Tim Kuniskis.

The very first Dodge electric muscle car is set to make its debut later in 2024, with the Detroit-based brand teasing a production version of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT for the first time at the start of this year. The first electric Dodge Charger will carry over essential elements that define a muscle car and adapt them for the era of electric propulsion. But the brand is playing many of its cards close to its chest. However, in advance of a full reveal later this year, let's look at what we've been told so far.

The Dodge Charger EV concept and the ensuing production model are based on Stellantis's STLA Large platform. STLA Large isn't all-new but is an evolution of the Giorgio architecture Alfa Romeo used for the Giulia and Stelvio, which has since gone on to underpin the Maserati Grecale. It has, however, undergone an extensive revision, enabling it to accommodate combustion, hybrid, and battery-electric powertrains.

The latter is a focus, and Stellantis has referred to STLA Large as "electric-centric" with the platform featuring in the Charger SRT Daytona, Chrysler Airflow, Jeep Wagoneer S, and Jeep Recon concepts, proving its versatility.

Depending on the vehicle, various sub-systems will be incorporated, with entry-to-mid-level trims of the electric Dodge Charger utilizing a 400-volt electric architecture while the range-topping Banshee derivative will double this and operate at 800 volts.

One part of the muscle car experience that is certainly not missing from the Daytona SRT is the speed. Predicted to be faster than a Tesla Model S Plaid, the all-electric incarnation of the Charger will be available in three core power outputs, with factory-backed "eStage" upgrade packages available through Dodge Direct Connection availing a total of nine outputs.

At a base level, the Charger 340 will have 455 horsepower on tap (340 refers to the kilowatt output), while the Charger 440 will have 590 hp. This may be from either single- or dual-motor configurations, with the latter likely to be standard from at least the Charger 440.

The 800V Banshee trim's outputs haven't been confirmed, but reports suggest 885 hp on tap - likely in top form after the DC Stage 2 upgrade has been applied. Dodge has remained coy on whether this is a dual- or tri-motor EV, but some sources suggest it may borrow the tri-motor powertrain from the Maserati Granturismo Folgore, capable of 750 hp in base state. However, Dodge promises the Banshee will outperform the gas-powered Hellcat in every measure.

The full breakdown of power levels can be seen in the table below:

The eRupt multi-speed transmission is a fascinating part of the driving experience: it offers the driver the opportunity to shift gears, prompting driving engagement and bucking the trend of EVs being cold, sterile, and unengaging. Dodge has repeatedly claimed it is a real 'electro-mechanical' transmission, but a patent unearthed by CarBuzz suggests this will be a simulated transmission using software to monitor and inhibit torque delivery in much the same way the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N simulates the shifts of a DCT.

The patent, filed by parent company Stellantis, describes traditional EVs as lacking "a traditional driving/shifting experience, which could be monotonous and boring to the driver."

The classic muscle car experience has many aspects that contribute to its emotional appeal, and one of the biggest ones is the sound. Replicating this experience in an electric vehicle might seem fundamentally impossible, but Dodge decided to go all-out on the auditory side of the Daytona SRT by creating a bespoke soundtrack that merges analog and digital elements. The car comes with something Dodge has named the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust System, whose primary purpose is to deliver sound and give the car its own "exhaust" note.

The Fratzonic exhaust is structured very similarly to an actual one, with air being carried through pipes, chambers, and an exhaust outlet. The sound piped through was carefully crafted by Dodge engineers to replicate the muscle car experience without sounding too loud or overly fake, even using the vibrations of the e-motors to create a soundtrack, which Dodge says is as loud as the Charger SRT Hellcat (126 decibels).

It can be adapted, however, and recent incarnations have mimicked the classic Dodge V8 firing order. This introduces a familiar auditory element to drivers used to traditional gas-powered muscle cars, bridging the gap between Dodge's past target audience and its future one.

The Charger Daytona SRT concept seamlessly blends classic muscle-car nostalgia with futuristic EV styling elements. This design choice embodies the transition between old-school power and futuristic clean energy: something to please both lifelong Dodge fans and EV enthusiasts.

While unconfirmed by Dodge, many expect two and four-door variants to be available, as with the current Charger/Challenger twins, but the two-door Charger will be the first to arrive later this year.

The original Dodge Charger Daytona and the classic 1968 Charger were both inspirations behind the design of the new Daytona SRT. The squared-off front and vertical grille details are a clear allusion to the '68 Charger, but the Daytona elements are hidden away cleverly by what Dodge calls the R-Wing.

The absence of a bulky V8 under the hood has allowed Dodge to play with the traditional body form, and what looks like a squared-off front end is actually a full-width wing beneath which the hood dips down sharply to emulate the aerodynamic nose cone of the original Charger Daytona.

One of the most obvious throwback features is the three-pointed Fratzog badge. Originally used on the 1962 Polara 500, it became the primary Dodge logo on Dodge muscle cars until 1976 when the pentagram logo was assumed. Dodge has brought back the Fratzog for its future electric vehicles.

The Daytona SRT also has air intakes, which are still functional for cooling purposes despite the absence of an ICE, but it is now expected that there will be a combustion variant sold alongside this, with a six-cylinder under the hood.

Last week Friday, Dodge showed off the first pictures of pre-production prototypes bearing the final design, and while some elements have been toned down compared to the Daytona SRT concept, a whole heap of them have been retained, including the aforementioned Fratzog logo and the R-Wing. The frontal proportions appear different, narrower in production form than the concept, but it's at the rear where the bulk of the changes have been made.

The rear haunches are higher and less sculpted than the concept's were, and the rear end features a more truncated Kamm-tail. We've only seen the pre-production prototype in daylight, so it's uncertain whether the large rear lighting signature has been retained, but we think this unlikely.

It hasn't only been things taken away from the concept, though, and the pre-production car has gained a trunk-mounted spoiler.

The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept boasts a futuristic interior, but there's plenty that was included for show and will definitely not reach production. That's not to say the concept's cabin was a flight of fancy; there's plenty in the concept that looked production-ready and will likely reach early buyers.

While the concept has four individual seats, the production car will likely adopt a standard five-seat layout with a rear bench.

Likewise, the fanciful ambient lighting, parametric textures, and circuit-like graphics on the floor will be dropped from the production version, with standardized ambient lighting expected in a more traditional fashion. The panoramic glass roof looked fantastic in the concept, but the early production teasers seem to do without this expanse of glass.

However, some elements look ready to rock.

The Charger Daytona SRT's dashboard comes with a 16-inch instrument cluster, an 8x3-inch heads-up display, and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen tilted towards the driver by ten degrees. The infotainment system is state-of-the-art, with the ability to receive over-the-air updates.

The steering wheel, sans red illumination, looks production-ready, but the touch capacitive controls on the wheel and doors are something we hope Dodge reconsiders. They haven't been a successful tool for Volkswagen, and regular buttons do the job just fine. The Powershot button is another element that will be retained for the production car, enabling an extra boost for a short period.

Many elements of the SRT's design are inspired by the world of motorsport; these include the slim, race-inspired front seats and the carbon-fiber floor and hatch. The rear seats, on the other hand, are all about functionality: with the ability to fold down to create extra cargo space, they turn the Daytona SRT into a (somewhat) practical vehicle and not just a weekend toy. And unlike in most high-performance coupes, they are fully usable in terms of passenger space, despite the SRT's sloping roofline.