(CNN Business)Known for offering cars with big, powerful V8 engines, Dodge is an iconic We are phasing out some of the most common gases. - Muscle cars that prioritize power. To reassure fans in this new era, the company has opted to mimic the feel of muscle cars in its electric concept car unveiled Wednesday, including shifting gears and loud exhaust sounds.
This is part of an overall shift from Stellantis' American performance division, the Dodge, to electric vehicles. The brand's current gas-powered muscle cars, the Charger and Challenger, will end production next year. Called the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT, the muscle car concept resembles a model that will go on sale in 2024, according to executives. It will be available as a plug-in hybrid and will join a new small SUV called the Hornet, which will be available later this year. there is. Of course, electric cars don't need that, but Dodge assumes its target customers aren't looking for exactly what they need. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said these customers are looking for excitement. I think it will," he said. "But they will definitely hear this coming."
The Charger Daytona makes a low, loud noise like high voltage electrical equipment. The sound is not produced by a speaker like most electric car sounds, but by air pulses passing through pipes with baffles and chambers inside.
The air pulse varies in speed and force with car speed and accelerator depression, similar to the air pulse produced by an internal combustion engine. According to Dodge, the sound it produces can be up to 126 decibels. This is the level at which your ears begin to hurt, according to the National Hearing Protection Association, and well above the level at which sustained exposure can cause hearing loss.
Most electric vehicles and Unlike the Charger Daytona, there are 1 or 2 or more speed transmissions. Most electric cars he has only one speed transmission. This is because, unlike petrol engines, electric motors provide maximum tractive power even at very low speeds and continue to deliver that power at very high rotational speeds. In contrast, gas engines have a relatively narrow range of operating speeds in which they can deliver full power, requiring transmissions with various gears to keep the engine within its "power band" when the car moves slowly and quickly. is.
However, Dodge designers and engineers felt that electric vehicle drivers could miss the sound and feel of a transmission shift, so while not really necessary, The Charger Daytona has a multi-speed transmission. Kuniskis did not disclose the number of gears in the transmission. His petrol-powered 717-horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat has an eight-speed transmission. Classic Dodge Charger Muscle, like the one EV was modeled on, had a 3 or 4 speed transmission.
Dodge has not yet announced how much power the all-wheel-drive electric motor will produce, but it is said to be faster than the Dodge Challenger Hellcat "in all key performance measures." I promise. According to Car and Driver, his Hellcat, a supercharged, petrol-powered, rear-wheel drive vehicle, can go from stop to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
The elongated rectangular nose and dark Charger Daytona EV resembles a late 1968 Charger. With its dark paint color, it looks a lot like the Dodge Charger used in the famous chase scene in the movie Bullitt. This scene shows Steve chasing his McQueen Ford in his Mustang and being chased.
The front of the Charger Daytona EV hides a wing just above the 'grill'. Wings allow air to pass underneath them, improving the car's aerodynamic efficiency. Air vents cut into the front and rear sides of the vehicle also help improve the aerodynamics of the almost square body.
Dodge has not disclosed a price when the production version of the car goes on sale.
