Artificial exhaust pipes arrive: because the electric car is the future, but also nostalgia

We know that the future of urban mobility takes fossil fuels out of the equation, but the transition to electric cars, which has already begun, will not be an easy task. One of those affected by this change in the industry will be the cars whose essence has been founded on a spirit that transmits rudeness by force of aggressive designs, powerful and noisy engines. Yes, we are talking about muscle cars.

Those who buy a Ford Mustang or a Dodge Charger, to mention a few examples, are not looking for luxury features or a smooth driving experience, instead, their motivation is to be driven by the roar of a high-performance V8 engine. In other words, excitement and power behind the wheel based on burning fuel. Does the electric car offer that? No. So automakers are going to lose a lot of customers during this transition? Not so fast…

Artificial exhaust pipes to the rescue

Muscle cars as they originally were are destined to die out, but some car companies don’t want the concept to go away. An alternative that is on the table is to incorporate certain features that evoke a kind of nostalgia in the owners of these cars, and Dodge has taken an important step in this direction by devising an artificial exhaust that could be incorporated into your future Charger to keep the brand’s tough attitude alive.

The car manufacturer, which is part of the Stellantis group, presented this week the concept Charger Daytona SRT at an event at Pontiac headquarters in Michigan. This vehicle is a good way to glimpse how the American company envisions its first electric car, which is expected to go into production in 2024. “The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it,” said Dodge CEO, Tim Kuniskis.

The design lines of the concept car, which could be a candidate for the production car that will arrive in a few years, mix futuristic and retro concepts. The features also point in that direction. Artificial “Fratzonic” exhaust may sound like the iconic Hellcat engine. To do so, the company explains, it distributes the sound through an amplifier and a camera specially located in the rear of the vehicle as if it were a wind instrument.

This accessory promises to put nostalgia as a flag. Imagine a future where virtually every car in town is electric—and therefore quiet—and you show up with your Charger revving up. Surely you would not go unnoticed. Although of course, in order not to go unnoticed in the near future, you can also mount a speaker that reproduces the sound of a V12 to a scooter, motorcycle or electric bicycle.

Another feature that the future Charger could inherit, and which we’ve seen in this week’s concept, is a transmission case. What? But don’t electric cars have only one gear? Yes, but putting elements of combustion cars in electric cars is not something new, and over time it could become even more established. The transmission in this case has multiple speeds with eRupt technology that allows “electromechanical shifting” like high-performance cars.

These legacy elements, as we can see, are very flashy and intentional. However, for design reasons, for a while we will see certain similarities at an aesthetic level between combustion cars and electric cars. This mainly has to do with car platforms. Designing and developing a new platform from scratch requires a lot of resources, so companies try to extend—and share—existing ones as much as possible.

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