London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2025

Most electric cars are quiet. But Dodge says its future electric muscle car will be super loud

Most electric cars are quiet. But Dodge says its future electric muscle car will be super loud

Dodge, famous for offering cars with big and powerful V8 engines, is phasing out some of its iconic, gas-powered muscle cars in favor of electric power. To ease fans into this new era, the company has opted to mimic some muscle car sensations — including shifting gears and a loud exhaust — in an electric concept car it unveiled on Wednesday.

It's part of an overall shift from Dodge, the American performance car division of Stellantis, towards electrified vehicles. The brand's current gas-powered muscle cars, the Charger and Challenger, end production next year. The concept muscle car, called the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT, resembles a model that will go on sale 2024, according to executives. It will join a new small SUV called the Hornet that will be available as a plug-in hybrid and is set to go on sale later this year.

The Charger Daytona has exhaust pipes that make noise and a transmission that shifts gears. None of that is necessary in an electric car, of course, but Dodge assumes its target customer isn't looking for what's strictly needed. These customers are looking for excitement, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said, which requires more than just fast acceleration.

"We think we're going to bring a car to market that customers didn't see coming," he said. "But they're definitely going to hear this one coming."

The Charger Daytona makes low, loud thrumming tones that sounds a bit like high-voltage electrical equipment. The sounds aren't produced by speakers, like the sounds from most electric cars, but by air pulses forced through pipes with baffles and chambers inside.

Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept


The air pulses vary in speed and force depending on how fast the car is going and how hard the accelerator is pressed, much like the air pulses created by an internal combustion engine. The sounds it produces can be up 126 decibels, according to Dodge. That's about the level at which the ears begin to hurt and well above levels at which sustained exposure can cause hearing loss, according to the National Hearing Conservation Association.

Unlike most electric cars, the Charger Daytona has a transmission with more than just one or two speeds. Most electric cars have only a one-speed transmission because, unlike gasoline engines, electric motors provide their full pulling power at even very low speeds and keep providing that power up through very high rotating speeds. Gas engines, by contrast, have a relatively narrow band of operating speeds at which they can provide full power so it's necessary to have a transmission with different gears to keep the engine within that "power band" as the car moves slower and faster.

But Dodge designers and engineers felt electric car drivers might miss the sounds and sensations of a transmission shifting, so, even though it's not really needed, the Charger Daytona has a multi-speed transmission. Kuniskis would not say how many gears the transmission has. The gas powered 717-horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat has an eight-speed transmission. Classic Dodge Charger muscle cars, like the ones the EV is modeled on, had three- or four-speed transmissions.

Dodge hasn't yet announced how much power the all-wheel-drive car's electric motors will produce, though the company promised that it will be faster than the Dodge Challenger Hellcat "in all key performance measures." The supercharged Hellcat, a gasoline-powered rear-wheel-drive car, can go from a stop to 60 miles an hour in 3.7 seconds, according to Car and Driver.

With its narrow rectangular nose and dark color, the Charger Daytona EV resembles a late 1968 Charger. In its dark paint color, it looks a good bit like the Dodge Charger used in a famous chase scene in the movie "Bullitt," the one that chases -- and gets chased by -- Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang.

The front of the Charger Daytona EV hides a wing that runs just above the "grille." The wing allows air to pass underneath it, improving the car's aerodynamic efficiency. Air vents cut in the sides at the front and rear of the vehicle also help to improve the aerodynamics of the generally squared-off body.

Dodge has not said how much the production version of the car might cost when it goes on sale.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
×