The 2024 Dodge Charger is Fully Electric
Don’t freak out. There will be a gas version, too.
The new Dodge Charger comes in coupe and sedan form, and there will be both electric and gas versions of each (image: Stellantis).
The 2022 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept wasn’t just some figment of your imagination, and the 2024 Dodge Charger you see here in production form is evidence that Dodge was serious about its next-generation electric muscle car. Photos and details just dropped of the retro-futuristic rocket sled that Dodge promised, and it’s closer to the concept than we thought it would be. There will be two power output levels for the EV versions: The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T will deliver 496 horsepower, and a Daytona Scat Pack will churn out up to 670 horses. Dodge says the Scat Pack will also burp 40 of those horses for 15 seconds via a “Power Shot” button on the steering wheel.
If those numbers aren't sufficiently impressive, the acceleration numbers are. Dodge says the Scat Pack version will rocket from 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds. That’s quicker than a 2024 Porsche Taycan, folks. For 2024, both the Charger Daytona R/T and the Scat Pack are two-door (coupe) only, but the four-door (sedan) will debut in 2025. For those who just don’t want to make the leap to electric, there will be gas versions of both coupe and sedan, powered by a new Hurricane inline-six engine. Goodbye sonorous but thirsty V8. that gas engine is Stellantis's 3.0-liter twin-turbo version rated at 550 horsepower. A high-performance Banshee EV trim is also rumored to be in the works. The Banshee will scream out over 807 horsepower by way of an 800-volt electrical system and a two-speed transmission, an electric Hellcat, if you will, but quicker.
Those numbers seem more important to Dodge than the numbers for electric range. The Charger EVs range will be somewhere mid-pack, but they’re still high enough for practical, everyday use, as long as you’re not dialing it into the highest performance mode or you’re driving in frigid temperatures. The base Daytona R/T will offer 317 miles of range, and the Daytona Scat Pack will offer a lesser but still acceptable 260 miles of range. Dodge officials said Charger buyers aren't focused on the EV range but performance.
As attractive as the new Charger is, we wouldn’t exactly call it daring. The design is very much 1969 Dodge Charger, far more than the last version. It actually looks smoother and less muscular than the 2023 Charger. The front end gets white an LED full-width lighting element, as well as red “ring of fire” LED rear taillamps with an illuminated Fratzog logo front and center. That Fratzog logo is from Dodge’s past. It actually bears no meaning, a term made up on-the-fly. It, nonetheless, looks good here. The name is also used for the sound emitted by the Charger, which uses what’s known as the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust. The result will be “Hellcat levels of sound intensity,” so owners won’t have a silent muscle car unless they dial it into Stealth mode. The Charger EV will also get drive and race modes, including Donut and Drift.
The Charger’s interior is where the design changes are more daring. Not only is there going to be a model-first available full-length glass roof, but the front R-Wing aerodynamic feature is straight from the concept. The car will also get a retro-style pistol-grip shifter, electronic door buttons (with a manual lever), paddle shifters for the regenerative braking levels, and 64-color ambient lighting. Check out the fancy webbed and illuminated door trim that’s straight from the concept car. Add in a squared off steering wheel, wraparound dash, and a landscape-oriented Uconnect infotainment screen, and you’ll forget all about the horribly bulky and painfully dated interior from the last Charger and Challenger.
The big instrument and infotainment screens will display an available driver experience recorder that retains track-day data with audio, video, and even capture of the driver's voice. It will provide the driver with relevant data that should help him (or her) improve driving techniques and lap times. Just watch the profanity in case you’re playing recordings in front of your kids.
There's no word on pricing yet. It’s safet to say that it will be up over the old car. The 2023 Dodge Charger base price was $32,645, the V8 Charger R/T started at $42,385, and the Charger Hellcat started at $77,345. Production will start this year as 2