Examining the Possible Dodge Charger Daytona BEV Quarter Mile Capabilities

When Dodge first introduced their plans to offer the next generation Charger Daytona as an all-electric vehicle, the brand didn’t provide any performance numbers, but they did say that it would beat the current Hellcat cars in every performance metric. That essentially means that the Dodge EV would be able to cover the quarter mile in the 10-second range, as a fully-stock Hellcat Challenger or Charger can run in the very low 11s. It would also need to sprint from a stop to 60mph in the mid-to-low 3-second range, which seems very reasonable for a performance-minded EV, but we didn’t get any performance numbers at the initial debut of the sexy concept car.

Dodge Charger Daytona

We learned during the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas that the Dodge Charger Daytona BEV Concept in 400-volt trim with the Direct Connection Stage 2 500 kW models will deliver – conceptually – around 670 horsepower. Dodge didn’t specifically state that the numbers referred to wheel horsepower, but we know that the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Ford Mustang Mach E and all of the Tesla vehicles typically offer similar wheel-power numbers to the official marketing numbers. Based on that, we would expect that the Charger Daytona 440 with the DC Stage 2 kit to offer right around 670 wheel horsepower. It might be a little lower than that, but based on other EV marketing numbers compared to real world dyno numbers, there is usually a very minimal loss – if any.

Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Concept in Stryker Red

Let’s say that the Dodge Charger Daytona 440 with the DC Stage 2 kit has 650 all-wheel horsepower. That is a similar power rating to what my Hellcat Challenger delivered to the wheels in stock form, but my car is rear-wheel-drive and is greatly limited by traction capabilities. Knowing nothing else about the Charger Daytona BEV, but knowing that it has similar power to a Hellcat Challenger (and a stock Hellcat Charger) with the advantage of all-wheel-drive, it seems very possible that the electric Charger could be quicker than a Hellcat Challenger or Charger with a supercharged V8.

The key unknown variable here is the weight of the muscular EV.

How Much Might the Dodge Charger BEV Weight?

The Tesla Model S Plaid is the quickest EV that you are likely to see at your local drag strip. Lucid and some other brands make quicker, more powerful models but they are crazy expensive and relatively rare, but the Tesla has become somewhat common. The Plaid comes with a 400-volt system that is rated at 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque with a curb weight (not including the driver) of 4,766 pounds. Those cars are proven to be very capable of running well into the 9-second quarter mile range.

Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee

A Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has a curb weight right around 4,600 pounds, but based on the dimensions of the Charger Daytona Concept and the copious use of carbon fiber, the all-electric Dodge could be lighter than the current supercharged sedan.

Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Concept in Stryker Red

If Dodge could get the 400-volt, 440 trim version of the Charger Daytona BEV down to around 4,000 pounds, there is almost no question that it will run in the 10-second quarter mile range with the Direct Connection Stage 2 (500 kW) upgrade. It will have similar wheel horsepower to the standard Hellcat cars with the advantage of all-wheel-drive, so if it weighs less, it will obviously have no issue delivering better real world performance times. Even if the Dodge BEV weights a bit more, the advantage of all-wheel-drive coupled with the instant torque application of EV tech, it is still likely to offer better track times than the rear-drive Hellcat cars in stock form.

Banshee Power and Performance

Mind you, we are just talking about the middle-of-the-line version Charger Daytona BEV with the 400-volt system above. The top-of-the-line SRT Banshee model will come with an 800-volt drive system that will offer substantially greater power potential.

Dodge Charger Daytona

We can expect that it will start somewhere north of the most powerful 400-volt system, which is the 440 trim with the DC Stage 2 500kW package. If that delivers 670 horsepower, we would expect the 800-volt Banshee models to start somewhere around 700 horsepower, but with the Direct Connection stage kits, we could see numbers climbing higher than any previous Dodge production vehicle – possibly creeping up on the 1,000 horsepower mark.

Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Concept in Stryker Red

It seems incredibly ambitious for Dodge to expect to come out and beat the Tesla Model S Plaid in a head-to-head race, but with the premium Charger Daytona BEV coming with an 800-volt system, we could see a stock 9-second car with the Direct Connection options.

For more information and discussion on the Dodge Charger Daytona BEV, check out this Facebook Group.

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