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The Dodge E-Muscle Car Gets Previewed in Speculative Rendering of a Charger EV

There are still plenty of people who oppose the rise of the electric vehicle, and it feels as though a large part of them overlaps with the muscle car enthusiast community. To be fair, who did we expect to be the most aggrieved, the Prius bunch?
Dodge Charger EV rendering 8 photos
Photo: Elliott Winslow-Thorpe via Instagram
Dodge Challenger SRT Super StockDodge Challenger SRT Super StockDodge Challenger SRT Super StockDodge Challenger SRT Super StockDodge Challenger SRT Super StockDodge Challenger SRT Super StockDodge Challenger SRT Super Stock
Forget for a second about their limited range or the problems that the growing number of batteries will soon pose - none of these are the main issues for this segment of the public. No, the thing they will point at more often than not is that the absence of an engine leaves them lacking emotion. They are soulless, one might say.

It may feel as though this reaction is mostly based on the silent nature of EVs, as opposed to the loud and aggressive sound a large V8 engine and its exhaust system make, not to mention the unmistakable whine of a supercharger, when available. However, that's only half the story. Not having an internal combustion engine also means one more thing: no tuning.

Tesla has shown you can get plenty of performance from a stock EV, particularly as far as drag races are concerned, but tuning your car is about more than just shaving tenths of a second off the quarte- mile time. It's about making that vehicle your own. Nothing compares to the satisfaction you get by reaching your goals after investing time, money, and sweat in a car that is yours, not because it says so in its papers, but because you made it so.

This is probably the biggest loss the switch to electric powertrains brings right now, though it's not at all unthinkable to imagine that, in a few years, people will find ways to tweak EVs as well and make them go faster. It will look a bit different than what we've become used to, but if the result is the same, nobody's going to be complaining.

Regardless, the switch is happening, and it looks as though Dodge might just lead the way when it comes to muscle cars. The company is expected to debut an all-electric muscle car concept this year as well as a hybrid one, with a production version of the former expected to come in 2024.

Now, for all the shortcomings the electric powertrain supposedly has in terms of emotion, it does offer virtually free reign when it comes to exterior design. Gone are the constraints brought by having to fit a large engine under the hood and the placement of big grilles and vents on the vehicle's nose. Instead, the only thing shaping the front end apart from the designers' imagination is going to be the good old aerodynamics and nothing else.

Having said that, this Dodge Charger EV rendering doesn't necessarily seem to mind how efficiently it cuts through the air that much, opting instead for a retro-inspired graphic that evokes memories of the 1970 model. And that's never a bad thing.

Whether the upcoming e-muscle car from Dodge ends up looking anything like this rendering remains to be seen, but regardless of how you feel about EVs, I doubt you're not at least a little bit curious and excited about what it's going to bring to the table. After all, it is a new muscle car, and unless Dodge does something stupid like giving it fake V8 and exhaust sounds or something, it's hard to imagine how they could mess it up.

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Editor's note: Gallery shows Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock for illustration purposes. (And also because it's pretty cool)

About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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