Nearly every automaker will have an electric vehicle (EV) available within the next few years. But no automaker has built its image around the snarl of a gasoline-powered V8 like Dodge has. So, how does a company famous for putting its glorious, oversize Hemi V8s in nearly everything it builds survive in the era of electron-powered cars?
With a muscle car, of course. A battery-powered muscle car.
Teaser Shows EV With Classic Muscle Car Look
Promising a car that will “tear up the streets, not the planet,” Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis said the company “will not sell EVs,” but rather, “eMuscle.”
Speaking at an online event parent company Stellantis used to introduce its EV strategy, Kuniskis said Dodge would release an all-electric muscle car in 2024. Kuniskis didn’t name the vehicle. But the video did provide a glimpse of a Challenger-like nose surrounded by LED lights, shrouded in smoke.
“Performance Made Us Do It”
Kuniskis characterized the switch as a quest for more power. “Our engineers are reaching a practical limit of what we can squeeze from internal combustion innovation,” he said. “They know we know that electric motors can give us more.” He added, “If a charger can make a Charger quicker, we’re in.”
Can This Work?
Electric cars can provide jaw-dropping performance.
Gasoline-powered engines must build up torque as they convert combustion into the rotation of engine parts. Engineers have mastered doing this very quickly. But electric motors start at full torque the instant they first spin. That means many electric cars not engineered for peak performance often boast quicker acceleration than similar gasoline-powered cars.
EVs engineered for performance? Let’s just say that the Tesla Model S Plaid has a 0-60 mph time under 2 seconds.
We’re excited to see what the engineers behind the 840-horsepower Dodge Demon could do with those tools.
New EV Badge is a Throwback
The event also revealed a new logo with old roots for Dodge’s electric efforts. The eMuscle car in Dodge’s sneak peek wore an LED version of the triangular badge Dodge products wore during the 1960s and ’70s heyday of the muscle car.
Future Electric Trucks: What’s coming in 2022 and beyond
