The governments are probably forcing auto makers hand. I'm sure it is not Dodges engineers choice to discontinue the glorious Hellcat V8s in order to produce EV aids.

 

Challenger sold 53K units while Charger sold 77K units in 2020. They are far from niche cars.

 

There is no escaping electrification for automakers and Dodge is no exception. Though I am interested to see if Toyota, Mazda, Subaru and Kawasaki actually get their hydrogen-combustion ICE racing ambitions further than the one GR Yaris hydrogen racecar on the whole battery EV is the direction every company is going.

So many Challengers and Chargers with Hemi V8's have been made that I don't think there will be a dearth of them for a very long time.

It's well within the grasp of Dodge to offer enthusiast electric muscle cars. Actually if they keep the fun and enthusiast-minded focus they've been nurturing for years then they could offer options that are the totally opposite EV antithesis cars to Teslas. All they have to do is emphasize the driver and driver input and engagement, have actual instrument clusters and not have a giant protruding screen dominating the dashboard with physical buttons for key functions the driver always uses being a retained point of their interior design.

And possibly offer upgrade inverters, motor units, etc. through the Mopar aftermarket parts catalog.

They also could offer a (*gasp*) stick-shift transmission option with two or even three speeds.... bolted to an electric motor (because it's FUN to shift gears... and that's much more important than a 1.5 second 0-60 time). Or a rear motor-drive-unit with a gearbox section containing two or three speeds that has total driver override manual gear selection control.

Offering more than one speed and a way for the driver to have full manual control over a switch from one gear to another goes a long way to bringing some fun back into an EV experience even though more than two or even three gears is probably total overkill for an electric motor driveline.

Semi-straight-cut gears which make a cool whining sound in addition to the electric motor's whine are also another option although noise laws will probably limit that unfortunately.

Killing off the Hemi V8 and Hellcat engines doesn't surprise me.

What DOES surprise me is the suggestion that the Challenger coupe and Charger four door sedan will be killed off. Why? Why not just continue both on in a next generation that is fully electric? Both models are tremendously heavy already as muscle cars go so battery weight shouldn't affect this too much.

There are many retired Dodge (and Plymouth!) model names that they can resurrect but... they already have two great ones that actually look good in their current implementation. Why kill them off?

 

If the power goes out the gas pumps won’t work either so no matter what you’re driving……

 

Stellantis really needs to reorganize their brands. Without the Charger or Challenger then all Dodge has left is the Durango. And even if they add this "EV muscle car" they've been teasing, the whole brand would have a grand total of two vehicles in the near future, just like Chrysler. Chrysler itself will soon have only one vehicle to sell (the Pacifica) because the 300 will likely be axed alongside the Charger.

I say kill off Chrysler and Dodge and bring in Peugeot, Citroen, or Vauxhall to fill in the dealerships since those brands actually have a full lineup. Forego the Dodge brand and make their EV muscle car a bespoke project like the Hummer EV since there's no way such a vehicle can be sold in the same volumes as any of the ICE models.

 

If this ends up eliminating Dodge Chargers and Challengers passing in the parking lane at 40 mph above the posted speed limit, street takeovers, and daily street racing with fatal results in my city, this is the best auto news I've heard in years! Hopefully other brands follow.

 

One of those Hellcat Challengers actually outran a jet-turbine-powered police helicopter on a high speed chase Eastward out of Houston.

 

The main attraction to a car like a Hellcat was monstrous acceleration, and in that regard the stock cars are no longer as competitive - EVs are delivering faster 0-60 and faster quarter mile times.

Dodge and others are likely tired of seeing YouTube videos where their cars are bringing all the V8 noise and drama up to the start line, but losing to 5,000lb sedans that accelerate with no noise and no drama. This is a big opportunity for Dodge - because a Hellcat EV should be faster than a Hellcat V8.

 

You must have never been to a drag strip lol.

The whole point is to work on your car and the bring it to compete against another person who has worked on theirs. The sounds and feel of an engine can’t be replaced by an EV. There is no “accomplishment” of driving a Model S plaid, the computer is doing it, not the driver.

 

Outside of the Demon, the Hellcat acceleration has never been "monstrous." A Redeye is a flat 4-second car, and gets outran by a basic M340i. The appeal of the Hellcats has always been having so much torque and limited traction that it can't put down the power and spins its wheels eternally while making loud V8 noises. Neither of these attributes are what sell people on EV's.

What I expect from the upcoming Muscle Car EV is a car that can outperform any existing Demon on a track but has a driving character that is fundamentally no different from a Model S aside from wearing the body shell of a Challenger.

 

Of course I have. And it is all about the times.

 

Traction Control is supposed to prevent wheelspin....if necessary, by dialing back the torque (or even applying a wheel-brake) to a level manageable by the tires. So, in effect, if the T/C is working properly, the level of tire-grip will be just as much of a factor, if not more, than the engine torque itself. That goes for both ICEs and electric powerplants......torque is torque, although BEVs have max-torque at very low RPM, and ICEs usually at a couple thousand RPM or higher.

 

Big difference in EVs is the motor control. Traction control is magnitudes more precise in an EV so they just get better launch times. Takes no skill to get 0-60 in 3s in a Model 3...just mash the throttle and the computer will sort out traction. It's also very consistent..you can get these times every time on almost every surface. Much harder to do in an ICE.

 

LOL I was about to say the same thing. Where I live they are driven by people who have no brains, and apparently no jobs (you have to be living in Grandma's basement if you spend your nights doing donuts at 3am). One ended up taking out a neighbors entire fence and part of their front yard. It's all muscle and zero brain. Good riddance

 

This is funny, like a modern petrol car has no computer nannies.