Dodge Unveils the Electrifying 2024 Charger in EV and Gas Versions

Reflecting the current uncertainty of the timing of American drivers’ switch to battery electric vehicles, Stellantis’s Dodge brand has rolled out new Charger models that are built to adjust to circumstances.

The Charger will come in both two- and four-door body configurations and with either an all-electric drivetrain or one that employs the company’s twin-turbocharged Hurricane inline six-cylinder combustion engine. The car is built on the Stellantis STLA Large platform, which provides this flexibility through the use of interchangeable engine cradles that let factory workers bolt either drivetrain into the car as it moves down the assembly line.

The electric Chargers are the most technically interesting and they are also the fastest, thanks to the optional Scat Pack, which delivers 670 horsepower and is expected to reach 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds and run the quarter-mile in an estimated 11.5 seconds. The lesser Dodge Charger Daytona R/T puts out nearly 500 horsepower. Both versions, as well as the gas-powered models, are all-wheel-drive.

Six in the City

The flagship on the side of the combustion is the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger Sixpack H.O. powered by the 3.0-liter Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine. The standard output engine is the 420-horsepower Dodge Charger Sixpack S.O.

Related:Dodge Unveils the Electrifying 2024 Charger in EV and Gas Versions

“Sixpack” is a reference to the muscle car era of the 1960s and ‘70s, when Dodge offered engines fitted with a trio of two-barrel carburetors, providing six inlets that were dubbed a six-pack. Now, it is a reference to the engine’s six cylinders. These two combustion engines out-muscle the outgoing car’s 5.7-l and 6.4-l Hemi V8s.

The new Charger comes in two-door and four-door variants, rather than the four-door-only Charger and two-door-only Challenger of the outgoing generation. Electric two-doors will begin production in mid-2024. They will be joined by electric four-doors and the gas-powered models in both body styles in the first quarter of 2025. All models will be built at the Windsor (Ontario) Assembly Plant.

Electric Power

The electric Charger has a 100.5-kilowatt-hour, 400-volt, prismatic-cell nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) lithium-ion battery and high-voltage electric system to power independent electric drive modules at the front and rear of the car. The front module can disconnect to improve range and efficiency while the rear module features a mechanical limited-slip differential to increase traction and performance. Both modules are rated at 335 horsepower and 300 lb. ft. of torque.

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In keeping with the Scat Pack and Sixpack era of muscle car hot-rodding, Dodge will let customers customize their Charger’s power output with six available performance levels from the same drivetrain.

The 2024 Charger Daytona R/T arrives with a standard Direct Connection Stage 1 upgrade kit that adds 40 horsepower to reach a total of 496 horsepower, while the Daytona Scat Pack is delivered with a Stage 2 kit that offers an increase of additional 80 horsepower, taking total output to 670 horsepower.

Future Daytona models will require the purchase of Direct Connection Stage kits to upgrade from base models to Stage 1 and Stage 2 performance.

Range Anxiety?

Dodge is predicting 317 miles of driving range for the Charger Daytona R/T, while the thirstier Charger Daytona Scat Pack will go 260 miles. They can top off their batteries using a 350-kWh DC fast charger in 27 minutes (20 percent to 80 percent). Because of the differences in efficiency, the R/T gains 9.9 miles per minute of charging time, while the Daytona Scat Pack picks up 8.1 miles per minute.

Of course, other EVs achieve their claimed peak charging speeds rarely, if ever, so we’ll have to see how close the Charger gets to these charging speeds. It would be sadly ironic for this car to fall short in that respect.

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