Two of the most iconic muscle cars ever to hit the road will go electric, Dodge has confirmed.
Both the Charger and the Challenger will undergo an electric transformation in their next design cycle, busting rumours that the two paramounts of V8 gas-guzzling automotive power would stand to the last against the inevitable march towards zero emissions transport.
Let’s hope the news doesn’t disappoint fans of the emblematic vehicles too much.
As reported by The Driven in December, Dodge has already announced it will go electric with its last combustion engine muscle cars to be cut from 2024.
Apparently, the news brought death threats from the most dedicated Dodge enthusiasts, and MotorTrend, it would appear, attempted to douse the flame in a recent article claiming that a new generation of Charger and Challengers would live on with a Stellantis V8 RWD platform.
However, a spokesperson for Dodge has now confirmed with Motor1 that this will not be the case.
In an email, the spokesperson is reported to have said, “The story is incorrect. The Hemi in that platform, as well as that platform, are going away. The next generation will be BEV.”
While there will no doubt be some disappointment with the news, there will also hopefully be some that embrace the electrification of the Charger and Challenger with open arms.
We’ve already seen Ford’s success in converting its equally iconic Mustang into the powerful and in-demand Mach-E.
Having sold 27,000 Mach-E’s in 2021, Ford decided to close the order books for the all-electric muscle car in April because it simply cannot meet the demand.
No doubt Dodge has sat up and noticed.
How soon the Charger and Challenger will go electric however is anyone’s guess at this stage. It’s possible there will be both an electric and V8 version of each on the market at the same time.
Dodge is expected to unveil “a very, very, very, significant (electric) car” at the end of 2022, brand CEO Tim Kuniskis told MotorTrend in late 2021, with its first battery-electric car due to go on sale in 2024.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.