New EV Muscle Car May Have F1 Suspension

According to Motor Authority News, a patent for a pushrod suspension was filed in 2019, by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), before the company merged with France's PSA Group to become Stellantis. At the time, engineers proposed using this type of suspension in Chrysler, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati performance EVs. Current documents indicate that the electric Dodge muscle car, due in 2024, could have a Formula One-style pushrod suspension.

Supposedly, it uses horizontal dampers with either transverse leaf springs or traditional coil springs. The pushrods will be connected to a wheel at one end and a rocker at the other. The rocker, in turn, will be connected to the damper.

Moving the dampers from a vertical to a horizontal position will save space, which is one of the reasons why a pushrod suspension is used in F1 and other racing series. In an EV, this would also allow dampers to be mounted above or below an electric motor for more efficient packaging. This setup would reduce suspension stresses thanks to optimized force transfer.

The ability to arrange each steering axis along a direction passing through the wheel center gives the possibility of exploiting the very high torque provided by electric motors. This indicates that engineers have a performance application in mind.

It's unclear if this suspension design will work with Stellantis' STA modular EV platforms but, if it does, the Dodge electric muscle car seems like a good candidate.

Dodge plans to show a driveableble concept version its new muscle car later this year, ahead of the 2024 launch.

 

Dodge CEO, Tim Kuniskis, said that the American performance brand would show off an all-electric concept version of the next-generation Challenger before the end of Q1 2022, pending some patents that were waiting to be approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Well, we are into Q2 2022 and we haven’t heard anything yet. So, we are putting our money on a later 2022 debut at either the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit (which is now in September) or the L.A. Auto Show in Los Angeles scheduled for November.

 

Mopar Insiders is reporting that Tim Kuniskis stated that he wants to unveil the new eMuscle car before the week leading up to the Woodward Dream Cruise. Dodge has used the week leading up to the event to unveil several products before, including the 707 horsepower 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, 2017 Dodge Charger Daytona, and 2017 Dodge Challenger T/A.

The Woodward Dream Cruise will be held on Saturday, August 20th this year. The new battery-electric Dodge Challenger BEV, could share a lot of its powertrain setup with the upcoming GranTurismo Folgore. The GranTurismo Folgore has been said to offer more than 1,200 horsepower from three individual motors. This means the car would feature all-wheel drive (AWD).

With the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid being the current benchmark in terms of performance for the electric car segment at the moment, Dodge is focused on taking down Tesla. With a tri e-motor setup, the Challenger BEV should have no problem reaching 60 mph from a dead stop in around 2-seconds. Kuniskis also explained in recent interviews, that the all-new electrified models coming to the Dodge lineup will feature the classic “Fratzog” logo to help differentiate them from the standard internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Those ICE models will continue to carry the current Dodge “rhombi” logo on their flanks.

 

Stellantis is investing in the future of Canadian manufacturing. The Brampton Assembly Plant will be undergoing some big changes, including a full modernization and retooling by 2024. Considering the current cars being made there are going to either be eliminated or completely redesigned from the ground up, this really isn’t a shock in the least. Stellantis says production will resume in 2025.

Stellantis is anticipating big demand for whatever will be rolling off the line at Brampton. It expects three shifts will be working to crank out the new products. In other words, they’re super confident everyone will want what they’re offering.

 

MoparInsiders’s sources say that the Dodge electric muscle car may share its powertrain with the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore. Maserati has revealed that the GranTurismo Folgore will come with three electric motors producing over 1200 hp. It will have a 0-62 mph acceleration time of under 3 seconds and a top speed exceeding 186 mph.

The jury is still out on whether or not the Dodge eMuscle will boast similar specs to the GranTurismo. If it does, however, Dodge will have something truly special on its hands. Unlike the Maserati’s sleek exterior, the eMuscle’s squared-off design and boxy silhouette would impose some restrictions on the range and top speed.

 

Racer X gives his take on the new top-of-the-line E-muscle car to be unveiled next month. His guess is that it will equal or exceed the horsepower of the Tesla Plaid and sell for about $130,000.

I agree with him that the car will not be successful if it has less than 1,000 hp and sells for a lot over $130,000.

Will Dodge's New E-Muscle Car make Mind Blowing Power? Here's the Reality! - YouTube

 

Motor Trend has published what it knows about the upcoming EV muscle car.

Here are some key excerpts:

"Teasers confirm it will have all-wheel drive, showing smoke billowing from all four tires. AWD means the muscle car will pack at least two electric motors, and Stellantis has said the car's STLA Large platform will offer motors that make as much as 443 hp each, which means it could have nearly 900 horsepower. But this is Dodge we're talking about, so it's entirely possible the car gets three or even four electric motors to help it achieve 60 mph in a rumored 2.0 seconds.

'If an electric motor will make it quicker, we will do it,' Dodge chief Tim Kuniskis has said. The battery packs for STLA Large will range from 101 to 118 kWh in size with up to 500 miles of driving range, though surely not in this beastly machine. Worried about doing burnouts in silence? Fret not: Dodge wants the car to be loud and has created a muscled-up sound that intensifies based on how you're driving.

ESTIMATED PRICE: The sweet spot for muscle cars is from $40,000 to $50,000, Dodge says, so figure the production EV muscle car will land in that zone—at least to start."


2025 Dodge eMuscle Electric Muscle Car: Smoke All Four of ’Em (motortrend.com)



Artist Rendering

 

Here is a video of Dodge CEO, Tim Kuniskis, pumping up Dodge's 2024 EV musclecar.

 

Things to come?