Dodge Charger Daytona EV revs up Chicago Drives Electric [part 2]

Published

1 month ago

October 3, 2024

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One of the most anticipated new EVs made its debut on the streets of Chicago this morning as Dodge brand CEO Matt McAlear rev’ed onto the stage in a pre-production example of the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Stage 2.

Before we get too far, I want to set your expectations low — I didn’t get to drive the Charger Daytona EV. None of the press in attendance for Chicago’s addition to national Drive Electric Week did, in fact, because the low-slung silver stunner was Dodge CEO Matt McAlear’s personal DD, we were told, and he had to, “get it back to Detroit in one piece.”

Despite that, we were able to crawl all over the new-age electric Daytona while McAlear gave us a presentation and some Q&A time, and I have to say that the fit and finish of the car — even in pre-production spec — seemed a step or two above that of the last Mopar coupe (a 2011 Challenger in “Kowalski” white) that I spent any real time in.

I also have to say, with complete objectivity, that the Dodge Charger Daytona EV’s Fratzonic ‘Exhaust’ did not elicit the reactions I expected.

“That’s stupid,” said the man to my right, a former Ford electrical engineer who worked on the Maverick and Mach-E teams. “But it brings a smile to my face.” McAlear put the Fratzonic into “drag mode,” and rev’ed it again. “That’s — I don’t want to like it. But I love it.”

On my left, a smart, successful, attractive woman couldn’t hold back her laughter. “It’s a guy thing, for sure.”

My own notes (hilariously) read, “You can set the exhaust volume to 11 so everyone on your block will know the special boy has a new car.”

Even so, I did catch myself smiling at the vaguely PS2-ish sound quality. I have fond memories of playing GranTurismo in the USAF Tech School dorms, and the Dodge sounded every bit like that game’s digitally recreated big block V8s. I won’t even post my video of the car (shot on an iPhone 15), because the online videos simply just don’t do it justice.

Fake exhaust, real car

Dodge Charger Daytona EV interior; by the author.

As Matt McAlear spoke disparagingly about the “value-driven” Dodge brand of years past that sold Neons and Caravans and Journeys for $19,995, he waxed poetic about Dodge and the brotherhood of muscle, invoking scat packs, Hellcats, and Demons, he said that Dodge was OK with being “that crazy cousin that you’re not sure you want to invite over for Thanksgiving.” The Dodge CEO insists that they’re good with that vibe. They’re comfortable there, with the people “who don’t care what others think about them.”

Ignoring both the fact that your racist uncle is probably also good with that vibe, and the fact that today’s Dodge dealers would probably love a seven-passenger crossover they could sell for under $25,000 out the door, the Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack 2 delivers a surprising amount of value for its asking price.

For starters, there’s a ton of room in the thing. The proportions scream “muscle car” but once you understand how big those tires and wheels really are, you’ll believe me when I tell you there’s room for five actual humans in this thing.

There’s also all-wheel drive. Often seen as a must-have feature here in Chicago, it turns the Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack Stage 2 into a car that will be seen as a potential DD, and not “just” a fair weather friend. With 670 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque available at 0 rpm, that AWD helps deliver straight line performance as well as all-weather safety, too.

Add in the fact that the car is eligible for up to $7500 in lease assistance from Stellantis (and up to 7500 additional dollars from ComEd, if any municipal or state police fleet managers are reading this) make it both faster, cleaner, and more affordable than the current closest V8 Charger … and that, as they say, is progress!

Electrek’s Take

Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack 2; image by the author.

The new Charger Daytona certainly looks the part of a modern muscle car, and there’s no question that it’s faster and more capable than any of the classic Mopars from the 60s and 70s. That said, Dodge seems to be a brand that’s more interested in appealing to the type of car enthusiast that looks back on some imagined “golden age” of chest-pounding automotive performance from days gone by, and not a brand that’s looking to to the future.

The golden age of performance is now. And it’s very, very quiet.

ORIGINAL CONTENT FROM ELECTREK.

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Cybertruck backlog runs out, Model S gets stuck, GM hits a sales milestone

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3 hours ago

November 5, 2024

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Cybertruck backlog runs out, Model S gets stuck, GM hits a sales milestone

On today’s episode of Quick Charge, Tesla’s Cybertruck is now available in Canada – and, like in the US, there’s no waiting! Plus, we’ve got an “actually” smart summon Tesla that’s actually stuck, GM reaches a sales milestone, and we get a brand-new title sponsor!

Today’s episode is the first with our new title sponsor, BLUETTI – a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems.

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Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonusLucid proves than an EV company can keep its promises while Xiaomi teams up with Chevrolet and Honda to prove – at least conceptually – that records are made to be broken. audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!

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This ‘supercharger on wheels’ brings fast charging to you [update]

Published

5 hours ago

November 4, 2024

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This 'supercharger on wheels' brings fast charging to you [update]

Mobile car care company Yoshi Mobility launched a DC fast charging EV mobile unit that it likens to “a supercharger on wheels.”

November 4, 2024 update: Yoshi Mobility will only be charging EVs on the side of the road now – it announced today that it’s selling its fleet fueling operation to EZFill Holdings (Nasdaq: EZFL).

It was originally founded as a direct-to-consumer, mobile fueling business in 2016, but now it’s going to focus on mobile EV charging, virtual vehicle inspections for partners like Uber and Turo, and onsite preventative maintenance.

Bryan Frist, Yoshi Mobility’s CEO & cofounder, said, “By spinning off our fuel business and focusing all of our energy on solving hair-on-fire problems that fleet owners face, we are meeting the changing needs of enterprise customers while making the future of transportation safer, cleaner, and more sustainable.”

May 22, 2024: Yoshi Mobility saw that its existing customers needed mobile EV charging in places where infrastructure has yet to be installed, so the Nashville-based company decided to bring the mountain to Moses.

“We recognized a demand among our customers for convenient daily charging, reliable private charging networks, and proper charging infrastructure to support their fleet vehicles as they transition to electric,” said Dan Hunter, Yoshi Mobility’s chief EV officer and cofounder.

The company says its 240 kW mobile DC fast charger, which can turn “any EV” into a mobile charging unit, is the first fully electric mobile charger available. It can provide multiple charges in a single trip but doesn’t detail how they charge the DC fast charger or who manufactured it. (I asked for more details, and they replied that they won’t disclose client names or the manufacturer of its DC fast charger yet.)

Yoshi is launching its mobile charger on two GM BrightDrop Zevo 600s and will introduce additional vehicles throughout 2024. It aims for full commercialization by Q1 2025. (I wonder if the Zevo 600 ever charges itself? Yes, I asked that too.)

Yoshi Mobility says it’s already deployed its EV charging solutions to service “major OEMs, autonomous vehicle companies, and rideshare operators” across the US. Its initial customers are made up of large EV operators managing “hundreds” of light-duty vehicles requiring up to 1 megawatt of energy per day that don’t yet have grid-connected EV chargers. I’ve asked Yoshi for details of who it’s working with, and will update if they share that info.

The company says pricing is based on location and enterprise charging needs. Once under contract for service, the service will be deployed to US-based customers within 10 days.

To date, Yoshi Mobility has raised more than $60 million, with investments from GM Ventures, Bridgestone, ExxonMobil, and Y-Combinator in Silicon Valley.

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Marqeta shares plunge more than 30% on big forecast miss

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5 hours ago

November 4, 2024

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Marqeta shares plunge more than 30% on big forecast miss

Marqeta celebrates its initial public offering at the Nasdaq on June 9, 2021.

Source: The Nasdaq

Marqeta shares tumbled more than 30% in extended trading on Monday after the company issued weaker-than-expected guidance for the fourth quarter.

Here’s how the company did compared with Wall Street estimates, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Loss per share: 6 cents adjusted vs. a loss of 5 cents expected
Revenue: $128 million vs. $128.1 million expected

While third-quarter results showed a slight disappointment on the top and bottom lines, Marqeta’s forecast for the current period was more concerning.

The payment processing firm said revenue in the fourth quarter will increase 10% to 12% from a year earlier. Analysts were looking for growth of more than 17%, according to LSEG.

Marqeta, which primarily functions as a card-issuing platform, attributed the guidance miss to “heightened scrutiny of the banking environment and specific customer program changes.” The company has been struggling for a while, and its stock is now down more than 80% from its peak in 2021, the year it went public. The stock was down 15% for the year prior to the report.

Total processing volume of $74 billion was up more than 30% from a year earlier. Net revenue and gross profit were up 18% and 24%, respectively.

Marqeta’s digital commerce business sells payment technology designed to detect potential fraud and ensure that money is properly routed. It also issues customized physical cards that look like a credit or debit card that can be used for point-of-sale purchases.

The company has been trying to break into the buy now, pay later business with a recently launched product called Marqeta Flex. The service brings BNPL from lenders such as Affirm or Klarna to any credit card wherever Mastercard and Visa are accepted.

“It’s an orchestration layer, but it’s tied to issuing and processing and disputes and chargebacks,” CEO Simon Khalaf told CNBC at Money2020 in Las Vegas last week. “So it is not actually a Wild West in BNPL. It is actually very well established. And there is a reason why a lot of people are jumping to it.”