Dodge Hypes Up EV Muscle Concept With Noise Level That ‘Equals’ SRT Hellcat

While other automakers hype up the range on their battery-electric vehicles (BEV), Dodge is touting the volume on its new Charger Daytona SRT concept.

Dodge parent company Stallantis this week showcased(Opens in a new window) the new concept car and its “game-changing, patent-pending features.” One of them is the R-Wing, a front aerodynamic wing that lets the car keep its classic Dodge looks while boosting efficiency. Another is a multi-speed transmission with electro-mechanical shifting called eRupt.

Of interest to those who like to make an entrance (and annoy their neighbors), though, is a “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” which makes the car uncharacteristically loud for an electric car. A quiet car “just wouldn’t do for Dodge,” the company says.

Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept
(Credit: Stellantis/FCA)

“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept offers a glimpse at the brand’s electric future through a vehicle that drives like a Dodge, looks like a Dodge and sounds like Dodge,” according to Stellantis, which says drivers can expect “a performance sound that rivals the SRT Hellcat.”

The sound comes from an exhaust system that amplifies the electric sound and pushes it through a tuning chamber at the back of the car. As the company acknowledges: “ Yes, Dodge added an exhaust to an electric vehicle.”

The system “equals” the Dodge SRT Hellcat in volume at 126dB, the company says, a level well above the 110dB that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains(Opens in a new window) can cause hearing loss in less than two minutes. (Never mind that some states(Opens in a new window) appear to specifically prohibit new vehicles this loud or the inclusion of an amplifier in the exhaust system.)

If most electric vehicles are silent, the Charger Daytona SRT Concept may signal a different path for some EVs. “Charger Daytona does more than define where Dodge is headed, it will redefine American muscle in the process,” Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis said in a statement. The Charger Daytona SRT Concept serves as a “peek at our eMuscle future.”

The car is powered by an 800V “Banshee” propulsion system.

The reveal didn’t include pricing or a release date, but Dodge previously said it was aiming to release its first eMuscle car in 2024, Engadget reports(Opens in a new window).