Hellcat V-8 to bow out in favor of EV muscle, says Dodge CEO | Hagerty Media

[Hagerty]

The days of the tarmac-scorching 6.2-liter Hemi engine are numbered. We've got that straight from the mouth of the Dodge CEO, Tim Kuniskis, who's heralding EVs as the savior of Mopar performance. Hang with us here. A lack of consumer demand isn't the root cause of the Hellcat mill's imminent extinction.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/hellcat-v-8-to-bow-out-in-favor-of-ev-muscle-says-dodge-ceo/

[petersalt]

Emissions regulations are NOT particularly tightening. CAFE regs were stupidly set at a
ridiculous high level by the BHO administration, but those were tabled by the DJT administration.
What regulation change is he talking about?? GM and Ford are announcing electrification because
the leftist fringe is demanding it. Until regulation catches up with those demands, there's no
obstacle to producing V-8 performance cars and light trucks. Or ???

[pjhay30]

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) are working (right now) the standards to make passive charging of EV's inevitable. Once SAE standards are completed, these will be rolled into the National (Smart) electrical grid (good paying union jobs), automotive legislation, and will role down into Federal Highway building standards (and state level standards) [again good paying jobs]. The loss of fuel taxes (severely underpaid shell game by each state) will be offset with additional taxes (if you don't pay federal tax or state tax- why are you driving on those roads?). All of this is linked. The automobile is never going away. Fringe? China (our real only competitor) is investing heavily in EV R&D at the (equivalent) of the Federal or Nationalist Party level. Remember- they are 1.3B, we are only 350M people and ohhh just south of China is India. We are not the center of the market for users. We have shot ourselves in the foot (and how its catching up to us).

[Teuffelhunden]

Where does the budget for Federal Highway Construction and Repair come from? The military budget. Remember the national highway system was created to be able to transport the military and vehicles from the interior of the US to ports on the coast. That's why there is a % grade limit on all bridges. Oh, and in 1951, "Good paying union job" dues to the Federal Government and Social Security were also added as part of "demand dispensary funds". So union dues will actually go up and social security will go down even more. As for China being our "really only competitor"- Nope! Right now the largest and fastest emerging countries are in Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the list goes on. China, India, Pakistan, and Mexico are pulling ahead of the US in GNP. Do your research, read a book or two, and get your facts straight.

[danio3834]

The Obama era regs are still very much on the table, Trump merely paused the increases for a time. No one in the industry is betting that over the next 4-8 years the current administration won't put them right back where they were or make them even worse. No one.

[HHCO]

i have a 2019 charger hellcat,the libs will have pry it out of my hands,i hope we can stop stupidity before it goes to far

[spoom]

Elections have consequences, all the manufacturers are stepping into line , lest they be let go.

[pjhay30]

EV is an Inevitability my friends! I am 50, two kids & neither like cars. I have a conundrum...I own a 1970 AAR, 2010 M64 M6, 2006 Pontiac Solstice, 2004 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, 2001 2500 Suburban....and I have a really rough shell in my garage of a 68 Charger. I thought about a Gen 2-4 Twin Turbo Viper Swap (ebay Gen 2 are $15K)...however Tesla or comparable would cost me the same (and keep me competitive on Woodward in Detroit-I'm a regular). I drive my AAR maybe 200 miles at a time, the same would apply to the 68 Charger (so no range issues). Secondly- IF(?) they want the cars, how do I pass them down without potential big costs coming to them in the future. I will likely convert the 68 to electric. I will keep the AAR, E64, Cayenne, Solstice as is. That guttural growl of a big engine in the 68 will likely come via my speakers. Thoughts?

[AG1962]

Your kids won’t want your cars, unfortunately. Mine can’t wait for self-driving cars. I am nearly out of the game, with only one old Lincoln and two older motorbikes now. The kids won’t even drive/ride ‘em. Like horse-owners after 1900, we gearheads as a group are going to shrink to a core of enthusiasts who can afford an expensive and pleasurable hobby, conducted largely off the public roadways so as not to interfere with the more intense co-ordinated traffic flows that AI and wireless links will produce.  Yes, there will be a few pros who make a living doing vintage racing, or bodywork, or rebuilding engines, just like there are still a few farriers and horse vets around today — but not on every corner. But V8 ‘music’ via speakers? I know why; I might do it too. But then the kids will just plain laugh!

[shoulderboards]

Electrification is coming in greater numbers, but don’t be naive enough to dismiss internal combustion power as long as there is enough demand to turn a profit for those manufacturers savvy enough to seize the opportunity. When EV’s cost no more to own and operate (see outrageous battery replacement costs), when driving range is realistically equal to that of gas powered
cars and when recharging times are significantly reduced, then will be the day of the EV as an everyman’s vehicle. Attempts at legislating internal combustion power out of existence by a fringe element won’t go anywhere in the long run. It’s the fringe element itself who’s days are numbered.

[MoparMan]

I am a diehard Mopar fan, but as the horsepower outputs kept increasing, I had to stop and ask myself "For what?" With the increasingly crowded roads, there is NO place that one can safely exercise all those horses. The power levels/availability, combined with the lack of driver skills can only lead to disastrous accidents (e.g. the new owner that wrecked his Challenger less than a mile from the dealership after delivery!) Some will say "take them to the track" but, really, where's the fun in that? We all know that a big part of the "thrill" of street racing/hooning is the knowledge that we're doing something naughty/illegal. Of course, there have been/will be accidents in "Ludicrous" mode Tesla's and future electric supercars, but for all of the previous reasons, (IMO) the need for seriously overpowered vehicles is winding down. I'm not against EV's, but my "need for speed" could be well satisfied with a 392 Hemi! Maybe I'll get to experience EV power before my skills deteriorate w/ age, but I still feel it will be a comparatively soulless trip! YMMV!! 🙂

[spoom]

It's a no-brainer that electric cars Cam Be built that will shred any internal combustion version of the same car. That's really not what the whole EV thing is about, though. The motor torque available in electric is unbelievable, And The power limited only by How much And how fast a battery can discharge without physical damage, the size of the conductors going to the controllers and the power handling capability of the controllers and wheel motors themselves. Wheel speed sensors, computer control, and individual wheel Motors will make all wheel drive that blows away current intelligent all-wheel drive technology. You'd be able to chase a squirrel up a tree with the correct tires . None of this is a reason to totally get rid of combustion engine vehicles Especially in countries that are rich in petroleum and natural gas.

[Teuffelhunden]

I am a Power Plant Engineer who specializes in Power Generation Design, Maintenance, and Repair.
I have worked in Simple Cycle and Combined Cycle Combustion generating stations all over the world. I even spent 3 years in Wind Power and realized it was a joke... Smoke and mirrors!
The mining and subsequent disposal of lithium and lead/ acid is much more dangerous to the environment than oil. Then where or how do you dispose of the used batteries?
As for EV, take all the combustion engines in the world and replace them with electricity... You better go nuclear with all the additional power plants that will be needed. Wind power? Most wind power sites rarely run at or above 30% capacity, so when energy is bought and sold on the market every 15 minutes to power companies, the government mandates that other power plants must be on "standby" in case the wind power contracts cannot meet demand. When power plants are on "standby" the combustion turbines are brought down to 30% load and taken offline. This means they are still running. Going to EV will remove the hydrocarbons and CO2 from combustion engines, but the additional power draw will require additional power plants that even with scrubbing will most likely add back 60-70% of the emissions removed.
I am all for reducing the carbon footprint, but the world can reduce at least 3 to 4 times the 30% we'll take out by going to EV simply by forcing the other 70% of countries like Saudi Arabia and China to lower their power and factory emissions. Like Wind Power, EVs are not the solution to the world's global climate change problem.

[OldCarMan]

It is NOT "CARBON". They are banning CO2, which is necessary for plant life. and it is incredible hubris to even think that 7 billion humans exhaling and their cars, can change the climate weather!
With EVs we can control exactly what the population does and goes, by shutting off the power. It happened in TX and all of the time, in that bastion of Rightthink in CA.
We cannot "save" the planet on our end of the global titanic!

[DeDe]

I understand Mopar is stuck between a rock & a hard place.
My family was a Dodge dealer from 1949-1973. And I love my Mopars but I will NEVER buy an electric car.
The only place for electric cars is on my HO slot car track!!!
Electricity is not magic juice that comes out of an outlet. Look up how it’s created, do your research on the batteries these vehicles use. There is nothing clean about it! I’m not opposed to something that would truly help the world but this is a joke!
I’ll be driving my 09 challenger 62 Dodge and 78 Trail Duster for the next 50 years.

[Odie]

I’m right with you! Thanks for the positive post.

[brb]

I'm on board with EV. Tire shredding isn't the issue, it's range and charging times. Right now a high performance hybrid seems like a winner.

[Odie]

You can always count on the left ruining everything. I was hoping Dodge wouldn’t cave like Ford. Maybe at least they won’t denigrate the Challenger the way Ford has the Mustang. How about just let the market decide?

[Cookies]

Don’t care if they make a battery car that goes 0-100 in 1 second....
Not interested....