2024 Dodge Charger Daytona: A New Era of Electric Muscle Car

Dodge pulled a fast one. It was about 18 months ago that Dodge showed a concept of what an electric muscle car would look like. That car, the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV, was a modern take on the brand’s signature snorting performance and was designed to appeal to Hemi-loving motorheads while convincing them to try electric power. We loved the look of the concept, from the nose cone to the hatchback, the lighting, the proportions, and cool interior.

And then we prepared ourselves for it all to be taken away on the production car, like what Ram did when it showed the provocative Revolution electric pickup concept, which morphed into the much more conventional-looking 2025 Ram 1500 REV truck headed for dealerships later this year.

So, it was worth a “hell ya!” when Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis delivered the news: the Charger concept revealed in August 2019 was in fact the production car—with a couple add-ons for showmanship like door handles, side mirrors, and different front seats. Yup, pretty much everything we loved about the concept, both inside and out, is real, and the first two-door all-electric Chargers will go on sale this summer. Oh, yeah, the Challenger name—which adorned Dodge’s last-generation two-door muscle cars—is on hiatus, and the Charger is once again a two-door. Except when it’s also a four-door.

The Charger family will be available in two- and four-door forms, in eight colors, with either pure electric or twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline-six power, and several performance tiers. Electric Chargers get a 400-volt electrical architecture, except for the upcoming high-performance SRT Banshee variant, which will use an 800-volt setup. All Chargers, gas or electric, will have standard all-wheel drive. All will have Fratzog badges all over—because we like how it looks, don’t overthink it, Kuniskis says. Instead of Dodge, the EVs will spell out Daytona across the back. Here’s a quick explainer on the model-by-model rollout:

Production Details and Performance Metrics

Production of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona two-door EV will begin mid-year at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Canada. The car will launch in two higher-performance trim levels, starting with the 456-hp Dodge Charger Daytona R/T with the Direct Connection Stage 1 upgrade kit that increases horsepower by 50. That power figure gets a 40-hp boost from the Power Shot feature, which delivers the extra grunt for 15 seconds with the press of the button on the steering wheel, upping peak horsepower to 496 ponies. The button needs a 30-second rest and then can be pressed again. Peak torque (as combined between the front and rear drive motors) is 404 lb-ft.

The other trim at launch is the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack, with an 80-hp increase courtesy of the Direct Connection Stage 2 kit and an available 40 hp from the Power Shot, bringing it to 630 hp nominal (670 ponies with the Power Shot boost) and 627 lb-ft torque. The Scat Pack has an estimated zero-to-60-mph time of 3.3 seconds and is said to smoke the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds. It also adds drift and donut modes to change the amount of slip and emulate rear-wheel drive. The Scat Pack is designed to be the ultimate Dodge performance car until the SRT Banshee joins the lineup in 2025.

Charging and Range Information

Range is 317 miles for the R/T and 260 for the Scat Pack, says Chief Engineer Audrey Moore. Both vehicles can go from 20 to 80 percent charge in about 27 minutes with a Level 3 DC CCS fast charger. Estimated peak charging capacity is approximately 9.9 miles per minute of charging time for the Daytona R/T and 8.1 miles per minute for the Daytona Scat Pack, using a 350-kW fast charger. Stellantis is still sorting out the adapter situation with corporate plans to adapt the NACS system.

Four-Door Chargers, Gas Chargers Coming

Dodge will add production of electric four-door Daytonas in the first quarter of 2025. These four-doors will also be offered in R/T or Scat Pack forms, with the same performance levels as the smaller two-doors and the same wheelbase. Launching with the EVs first makes a statement, Kuniskis says. They are the more exciting and powerful models.

By spring 2025, Dodge will also be building the so-called Charger Sixpacks: Two- and four-door Chargers with the same platforms and bodies as the EVs but with gas engines. Customers have a choice of the 420-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo standard-output I-6 Hurricane engine or the 550-hp high-output Hurricane. Both engines come mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Dodge considered many different powertrains before settling on the I-6. There are no plans to add a four-cylinder, or a plug-in hybrid or a range-extender, Kuniskis says. Before you ask, there is no V-8 in the plan.

Dodge Is Livin’ STLA Large and Early

Dodge will have the first vehicles from STLA Large, a platform that will underpin coupes and sedans as well as mainstream, luxury, and performance SUVs for use by all the Stellantis brands. STLA Large was engineered for both combustion and electric powertrains, making it capable of flat load floors for batteries as well as transmission tunnels and packaging space for engines. Where there is no engine, there is a frunk. The Windsor plant that will make the Chargers, alongside Chrysler Pacifica minivans, will be able to shift production between EVs and ICE versions according to demand.

If it feels like it’s been a while since you saw the first Charger EV concept, you might be asking why Dodge showed that car off so early? It was to give Dodge customers— a loyal but hard-lined group— soak time to get used to the idea of an EV and the look, says Kuniskis. The automaker has spent the last decade establishing Dodge as a performance and muscle car brand, and about 30 months ago started talking about what that would look like when it transitioned to EVs, knowing it was a risky proposition but inevitable.

So Much Hate, It Had to Look Right

When the e-muscle car concept was unveiled, Kuniskis saw his email blow up. “The hate was like a tidal wave on me.” Consolation: the decision was made early on to offer multiple powertrains (read: include gas engines) to hedge the bet.

Dodge also built up an inventory of current Chargers and Challengers to get dealers past the launch of the new Charger, in case it was delayed, but with everything on track, he probably has more than he needs in stock.

To help assuage the EV-hesitant among its fanbase, Dodge made sure the new cars had the right look. The new Chargers are all widebodies to cover the massive tires, with the R-Wing front end and “drag strip” lighting across the front and rear. Vice President Dodge/SRT Exterior Design for Stellantis North America Scott Krugger says his team did a sketch study of EVs on the road at the start of the project and saw a “lot of melted bars of soap to be slippery for range.” They found other ways to increase aero while still ensuring the Charger looks like a muscle car: the R-Wing pass-through on the Daytonas, the angle of the hatch, full aero shields underneath.

Big Wheels, Brakes, and Fratzonic Sound

The Charger’s tires and brakes have been bumped up to handle the power and, we assume, extra mass onboard the battery laden Daytonas. There are nine new wheel designs starting with 18-inchers and going all the way up to the 20-inchers on the Scat Pack’s Track Package option with Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3 305-section front and 325-section rear tires. Huge 16-inch Brembo vented rotors and six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers help that version stop. Every Daytona gets a multilink front suspension, independent rear, and has dual-chambered adaptive damping tuned for each drive mode. The body is 20 percent stiffer than before.

Dodge continues to insist that the “fratzonic” sound in the EVs matches the sound levels of today’s Hellcats and is created by the chambered exhaust with speakers inside to provide the same decibel levels. The sound is created by the movement of air, and it has changed about 100 times since the concept debuted, Kuniskis says; it is still being worked on. There will be different sounds for each drive mode as well as a stealth mode that turns it off.

The interior is 95 percent true to the concept, says Vice President Interior Design for Stellantis North America Ryan Nagode. That includes the driver-centric cockpit, cool parametric surfaces on the doors and dash, slim instrument panel, hand-wrapped surfaces, and animated ambient lighting that comes in 64 different colors.

There is a 10.3-inch driver display or optional 16-inch cluster, as well as a 12.3-inch center display in an angled center stack. The wireless charger doubles as the phone-as-key receiver, and there is wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Amazon Alexa. In addition to the digital phone-as-key, there is an NFC (near field communication) smart card to swipe to open the car at the track if you don’t want to carry a key.

The flat top- and bottom-steering wheel and regeneration paddles are standard across the lineup. The drive mode selection button is on the steering wheel. Changing gears is handled via a pistol-grip shifter. Other standout features include electronic door release buttons inside and new seats: a low-back seat is standard on the R/T with an option to upgrade to the high-back seats with pass-through openings. Cloth and vinyl seats can be upgraded to leather. The fixed length glass roof is an option.

Dodge calls the Charger a multipurpose vehicle because the rear hatch—yes, it’s a hatchback—provides 38.5 cubic feet of cargo room, which is 133 percent more than in the current (not-small) Charger and enough to fit four tires and wheels. (That means you can take a spare set to the track.) The rear seats fold flat, though they are not powered; push a button on the seat or reach for the release hands in the cargo area. There is a hidden hatch under the cargo floor and the EVs have a frunk with an extra 1.5 cubic feet of storage.

Uconnect5 Packed With Data

A lot of attention went into the features of the Uconnect5 Android-based infotainment system that delivers a wealth of information via the driver screen and optional head-up display. There are multiple graphic layouts and a lot of effort went into making it easy to find the information you are looking for. There is a lot of “Dodge stuff” such as performance pages, race data, G-force meter, drive mode information, optional driver experience recorder for the first time on a Dodge, as well as EV information like charge levels and the location of chargers.

The lineup comes with a full gamut of safety features, and there are optional packages to customize the all-new Dodge Charger including the Plus Group, Blacktop Package, Track Package, Carbon and Suede Package and the Sun and Sound Package.

Despite what you think about EVs being as DIY-friendly as iPhones, tuners will be able to modify the new Chargers, something Dodge knew was important. About half of customers modify their cars today. There will be stage kits to unlock extra power, but they are still being worked on.

Pricing has not been released but, in keeping with directives from Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, all EVs must make a profit and that applies to Dodge. Kuniskis expects many of the Daytonas will be leased to take advantage of the $7,500 rebate for electric vehicles. Will the new Charger take off? Will traditionalists cozy up to their six-cylinder consolation prizes? Time—and these new Dodges’ performance—will tell.