2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Goes Electric With Up To 670 Horses

Summary

• The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona is a groundbreaking fully electric muscle car, setting the tone for the future of this iconic vehicle.
• With all-wheel drive and up to 670 horsepower, the Charger offers supercharged V-8-like performance without the need for gas.
• The new Charger boasts advanced engineering with a new platform, semi-active suspension, and drive modes to enhance the muscle car experience.

Remember the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept that was revealed in 2022? It was a sign of things to come for the Charger nameplate as well as the muscle car as we know it. Fast-forward nearly two years later, the concept that sent an electrifying shockwave to the muscle car world has been revealed in production form. Say hello to the 2024 Dodge Charger, which will now be sold as a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan–thus bidding goodbye to the Challenger nameplate.

Most important of all is the fact that this is now a fully electric muscle car–the first of its kind and will set the tone for what the future of the muscle car is going to be. It also inherits the Daytona nameplate moving forward, to serve as a hint of its electric drivetrain. Will it be the new standard among muscle cars, or are you better off with something else?

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Dodge.

The First Electric Muscle Car

Of course, the main topic of concern here is its electric drivetrain. Never has there been a point in muscle car history where a vehicle’s nameplate perfectly matches its intent and purpose like the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona as it now charges on to the electric future (sorry, couldn’t help it). This means that the Charger is completely new from the ground up as opposed to being a heavily revised version of a previous model’s platform like the new 2024 Ford Mustang. The new Charger uses the STLA Large platform that Dodge says is “BEV-native”. This term is going to be crucial as we progress through the article.

All-Wheel Drive, All-Electric

The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona will be the first in its lineage to come with all-wheel drive (AWD) traction as standard, and this comes courtesy of two electric motors. Dodge calls their electric motors the electric drive module (EDM) because it combines three otherwise separate mechanical parts into one compact EDM–the inverter, gearbox, and motor.

The dual EDM setup has two power outputs; 496 horses for the Daytona R/T, which comes with the Direct Connection Stage 1 upgrade kit that added 40 horses to its output; and 670 horsepower for the range-topping Daytona Scat Pack, which comes with the Direct Connection Stage 2 upgrade kit that added 80 horses to its output. Do note that these figures are with the 40-horsepower PowerShot mode activated, which gives you the full beans for 15 seconds. Furthermore, these Direct Connection Stage kits can eventually be cherry-picked if you simply want to upgrade the power output of your base Dodge Charger, but without the added bells and whistles of stepping up to the R/T or Scat Pack.

Fully Charged, Not Supercharged

So, what is the result of its switch to battery-electric power? Well, you’ll be getting supercharged V-8-like performance stats out of your fully-charged electric muscle car. The 670-horsepower Charger Daytona Scat Pack does the 0-60 mph run in just 3.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds. While it’s not as fast (as expected) as the limited-production Challenger SRT Demon 170 and its 1,025-horsepower supercharged V-8 that can do 0-60 mph in an eye-watering 1.66 seconds, it is faster than any muscle car that’s currently in production. The second fastest-accelerating muscle car currently in production is the Mustang Dark Horse, whose 500-horsepower naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 lets it rocket from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

While most of your attention will be towards the Charger Daytona Scat Pack, the Charger Daytona R/T also doesn’t disappoint. Its 496-horsepower dual-motor setup lets it sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds, while the quarter mile time is 13.1 seconds. Both models utilize a 100.5 kWh (93.9 kWh usable) lithium-ion battery pack in a prismatic arrangement. Surprisingly, the 400-volt electronics architecture still allows the battery to charge at up to 350 kW in DC, while AC charging is up to 11 kW. The Charger Daytona Scat Pack’s more demanding power means its EPA-estimated range is 260 miles, while the Charger R/T has 317 miles of range.

New Platform, New Attitude

Having a completely new platform and drivetrain has allowed engineers to completely reinvent the muscle car experience with the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona. The STLA Large platform has allowed engineers to achieve a near-perfect 50-50 front-rear weight distribution, which is not a trait that a muscle car would usually possess. There are more interesting engineering details that went through making the new Charger better than ever to drive, and we’ll be tackling each one briefly.

A New Way To Muscle Up

The outgoing Challenger already had an independent rear suspension as opposed to the solid rear axle that most muscle cars in the past have been known for, and this new Charger Daytona builds upon that by providing it with a four-link independent rear suspension to complement the front multi-link independent suspension.

Furthermore, the range-topping Charger Daytona Scat Pack with Track Package can be fitted with an optional Dual-valve Semi-active Suspension, which is similar to Porsche’s logic with the new Cayenne. The two-valve system is composed of two separate valves: one for compression and one for rebound. It also has three times the number of body accelerometers, four times the wheel-hub accelerometers, and four times the ride height sensors from the previous Charger and Challenger models, allowing for quicker response and greater flexibility to ever-changing road conditions and driving habits.

Multi-Faceted

The electric motors, the new STLA Large platform, and the electrical systems that accompany it have given the new 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona a broad spectrum of capabilities. The aforementioned Dual-valve Semi-active Suspension is also tied into the various drive modes, which are Auto, Eco, Sport, Wet/Snow, and Track and Drag (only available as standard on the Charger Daytona Scat Pack). Track mode adjusts the various vehicle settings for maximum performance and cornering capability on smooth, dry surfaces, while Drag mode provides optimal dragstrip launch.

In addition to the drive modes, you’ve also got various Race Options to choose from. Line Lock allows you to warm up the rear tires by doing a burnout, while Launch Control optimizes the vehicle’s systems to enable the Charger to deliver an optimal launch. The last two modes, Donut Mode and Drift Mode, are exclusive to the Daytona Scat Pack.

Firstly, Donut Mode allows the dual-motor AWD system to send power to just the rear wheels as well as provide added rotation to the front wheels. Drift Mode, on the other hand, allows you to select three levels of slip angle; torque delivery is rear-biased; and the front motors are used to help maintain the slip angle. The Scat Pack’s front dampers become full soft and rear dampers go full stiff to enable an oversteer condition, while the traction control system allows for different wheel speed differentials.

Radical Underpinnings, Familiar Looks

While the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona is a radically different vehicle underneath, the new model’s aesthetics don’t stray away too far from the muscle car design rulebook. While looks are subjective, it does possess a modern look inside and out, whilst maintaining the design flourishes that maintain its identity as a Charger.

Staying True To The Concept Car

The Charger Daytona SRT Concept’s signature patent-pending R-Wing, which is positioned at the front of the hood, allows for increased downforce whilst also creating a unique visual profile. The LED light bar that connects the two LED headlights also creates a distinct visual identity for the iconic muscle car. Gone is the slanted twin-bar Dodge logo for this Charger Daytona, as it’s been replaced with the new “Fratzog” logo. Speaking of which, there’s also a Fratzonic text logo at the so-called Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust. Wheel sizes range from 18 to 20 inches, with the optional Track Package for the Daytona Scat Pack coming with staggered Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 305/35ZR20XL front/325/35ZR20 rear tires–the biggest ever fitted to a Charger.

Moving inside the new Charger Daytona, tech plays an even bigger role compared to previous models. A 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster is standard, while this can be optioned with a larger 16-inch screen. All variants get a new 12.3-inch UConnect 5 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while a 64-color Attitude Adjustment interior ambient light system that reacts to every switch, setting, or button you press is part of the Plus Package. Nappa Leather in black or red, along with a windshield-projected head-up display are also some of the options you can pick for the new Charger.

Oh, And A Hurricane Inline-six Will Be Offered

If you, our gas-loving friends are expecting a plot twist to all of this, then you’ll get a sigh of relief when you find out that a gasoline-powered version will be sold. Yes, as many speculations and spy shots have pointed out before, the STLA Large “BEV-native” platform can, in fact, accommodate an internal combustion engine (ICE). Whereas the electric Charger bears the Daytona name, the gas-fed Charger gains the “SIXPACK” name. The SIXPACK name, as odd as it sounds for a car as it sounds more like a six-pack for beer, is an indicator of what engine powers this variant. That’s because the gas-fed Charger SIXPACK gets two new Hurricane 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six engines. There will be a 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O. (High Output) and a 420-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK S.O. (Standard Output).

For now, they haven’t released full specifications such as the torque and what transmission it will use, but the Charger SIXPACK will begin production in the first quarter of 2025, together with the four-door sedan version of both the SIXPACK and the Daytona. What is set to come much sooner is the two-door version of the Charger Daytona, whose production run is expected to begin in mid-2024.