The shift to electric cars
has a million implications across our whole society. But one effect that often goes unnoticed is the new powertrain’s sound—despite the help of Simon and Garfunkel, it’s hard to raise awareness about the sound of silence. The lack of noise an EV makes has actually caused a few problems. It’s raised safety concerns for pedestrians not hearing the mute motors around them. The issue affects muscle car fans in a different, less pressing, way, but Dodge has tackled it nonetheless.
The company says its upcoming EV, the Charger Daytona, will still have a look—and sound—that keeps it firmly in the “muscle” category. Jerry
, your car insurance super app
, took a closer look at the story to give you the scoop. The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT—the muscle car of the future
Like every major car brand, Dodge is going electric. CNN
says that next year will be the last for the company’s current sports cars, the Charger and the Challenger. Replacing them will be a plug-in hybrid called the Hornet and a new all-electric version of the Charger, the Daytona SRT. Dodge is going all-out to make the Charger EV something that will appeal to its current target demographic. Like the recent Charger lineup, its body resembles the ‘68 model. The Charger Daytona will also use a multi-gear transmission to offer a more traditional driving experience.
Another thing you’ll find on the electric muscle car
that it doesn’t actually need—tailpipes. Two “exhaust” pipes protrude from the back of the electric car, but rather than release toxic fumes, these tubes deliver the car’s distinctive sound. The Dodge Charger Daytona’s tones: “low, loud, and thrumming”
Dodge’s eMuscle car isn’t the first EV to make a noise. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) requires electric vehicles to make some sound to alert pedestrians and the visually impaired of their presence. But the Dodge Charger Daytona will go a lot farther than what’s required. While it might still sound electric, Dodge went analog with its “engine” noise, pushing air through the baffles and chambers in the car’s tailpipes instead of using external speakers like most EVs.
The amount of air increases the more pressure you put on the accelerator, giving it a similar feeling to pushing the gas pedal on a regular car. And it gets loud. CNN says the “low… thrumming” tailpipe sound can reach 126 decibels—enough to hurt the average person’s ears.
Questions left unanswered about the Dodge Charger
So far, the response to the Dodge Charger Daytona’s sound has been mixed. Debates on Twitter
went the way you’d expect them to go, with some defending Dodge’s attempts at perpetuating the muscle car image while others lambasted the car as “woke.” More data on the car’s performance might help silence some of the criticism, but so far, Dodge is keeping most of those details under wraps.
We still don’t know how much horsepower the platform will produce or how fast will be able to go, though Dodge has said it will outperform Dodge Challenger Hellcat, which has 797 hp and can reach 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
Electric Dodge Charger ownership costs
Dodge has also stayed quiet on the price of the Charger EV, making other ownership costs like car insurance impossible to estimate. But no matter where the Charger Daytona lands, you’ll find the right coverage at the right price by shopping with Jerry.
A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and can even help you cancel your old policy.
And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price.
This level of service is why Jerry earned a 4.7/5 rating on the App Store and made it the top insurance app in the country.
4.7
