I have coined another TLA in this title: Electric Muscle Cars. If you didn’t get my play on words, a TLA is a Three Letter Acronym.
I was not surprised to hear that Dodge is going to introduce an electric version of its wildly successful internal combustion engine-driven Challenger, especially given that the Tesla Model S has repeatedly beaten it on the track in short distances. The Tesla has also forced Porsche, Ferrari, and other high-performance car makers to take notice. So, this is not surprising at all.
I expect to see similar announcements from Chevy for the Corvette. However, I am not so sure about the buyer’s appetite for these EMCs. They can make it sound like there is a high performance engine in there, but they are not going to produce that sensual vibration of the big V8 that sooths the soul. Go listen to an AC Cobra at idle and tell me you would accept a recording of a “real engine” to replace it.
Nope, I think car makers should be studying how some car owners have created concert-like boom boxes out of their cars that literally vibrate yours when they are near you on the road.
Perhaps they will have a software switch to change the sound of the exhaust to match the sound modern Corvettes have along with driving modes offering street and racing versions. The video above does not have the kind of sound typical Challenger advocates like.
The good news is that the gas guzzling characteristics of the Challenger will reduce the chances buyers would worry about range anxiety. Beating other cars trumps that concern.
We will see. Tesla’s racecar Roadster should be out around the same time as the Challenger, but I doubt anyone is going to beat Tesla on the track. Elon Musk simply will not let that happen.