• Dodge shares the electronic “engine” sound it plans to include with the Dodge Charger Daytona EV.
When it comes to convincing customers to switch from a gasoline-powered to an all-electric model, the challenge is easier for some carmakers than for other. Count Dodge in the latter group, since the company's image is based on thundering V8 engines.
Dodge said goodbye to V8s in cars at the end of 2023 with the departure of the Charger sedan and Challenger coupe. Only the Durango SUV is still equipped with one.
The model destined to replace the Charger and Challenger is the Charger Daytona, a coupe initially intended to be electric only, but which will also be offered with the company's Hurricane 6-cylinder engine.
However, when it comes to the electric variant, Dodge has work to do. The electric model will be more powerful, but the emotion may be harder to convey to drivers.
So, from the outset, Dodge has promised that an electronic sound called Fraztronic will deliver the typical V8 engine sound. The first example of this sound wasn't very convincing when we heard it. Later, a second variation was shared, and it marked an improvement. Nevertheless, it was far from the sound of a true V8.
This time, Dodge is back with a new version, and we must admit, it's pretty convincing.
The sound generator uses under-body speakers, which are amplified by resonators, like those in a muffler, before being sent out through the exhaust pipe. The sound is completed by electronic components inside, producing what Dodge calls "Hellcat sound levels". The system could even vibrate the car like a V8, or be silenced in stealth mode.
An example of this new sound was presented by Dodge online. We'll let you be the judge, but frankly, it's pretty good.
On the dodgeofficial Instagram account, you can watch the video and hear the electronic sound, but it's worth taking a moment to read the comments of Internet users. If those are anything to go by, the battle is not won for Dodge. However, we also know that it's the most vocal complainers on social networks; the majority tend to remain silent.
Electronic sounds are not new to the industry. They are also not often convincing. The only other one that managed to surprise us was Toyota's Tundra i-Force Max. Despite the presence of a 6-cylinder engine under the hood, you'd swear from the inside that a V8 was at work when you press the gas pedal.