To fans who’ll miss the good ol’ V8 rumble on the next electric Dodge Charger, fake engine vibration is the answer.
In muscle cars, the roar of a V8 engine is more than just noise. It’s the growl you feel in your bones when you push the pedal to the metal. So, when Dodge announced the upcoming 2025 Charger EV would come with synthesized engine vibrations and fake exhaust noises, it felt like a slap in the face to muscle car fans everywhere. How dare they, right?
Dodge, under its parent company Stellantis, has decided to go full mad scientist, conjuring up a future where electric muscle cars try to mimic their gasoline-guzzling ancestors with something called “Active Vibration Enhancement” (AVE) and “Active Sound Enhancement” (ASE). It has filed a patent that essentially says, “We can’t give you the real thing, but how about we fake it?” This move is like replacing the crackling fire in a fireplace with a video loop on a TV screen – it just doesn’t burn the same.
Truth is, Dodge plans to install a bunch of sensors and “force generators” throughout the vehicle’s body and chassis. These gizmos are tasked with replicating the vibrations you’d feel from a traditional V8 engine, based on various driving conditions such as idling, cruising, or shifting gears. It’s like your car is lying to you, pretending to be something it’s not, using technology similar to the haptic feedback you get from a smartphone or gaming controller.
The ASE system isn’t much better. It’s designed to pipe in artificial engine sounds, turning your silent EV into a mobile sound system that blasts faux engine roars. It’s an evolution of Dodge’s “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” a name that sounds more like a rejected sci-fi weapon than a car feature. Together, these systems aim to trick you into thinking you’re driving a muscle car with a heartbeat, rather than a silent electric motor.
Dodge argues these features are about enhancing driver awareness and pedestrian safety, claiming that the silence of EVs could lead to “unintended movements.” It even tries throwing in customizable alerts for things like lane departure warnings, all delivered through strategic vibrations.
But let’s be real. For many muscle car lovers, the idea of faking the V8 experience is almost offensive. The visceral connection between driver and car comes from genuine interactions, not programmed sensations. Dodge’s attempt to synthesize the essence of muscle cars could be seen as an admission that EVs just can’t stir the soul like their ICE predecessors.
Yet, Dodge isn’t alone in this concept. Other automakers, like BMW, are also exploring artificial vibrations to enhance the driving experience in their future EVs. It seems the industry is at a crossroads, trying to find a balance between innovation and tradition.
As we bid farewell to the era of fossil-fueled beasts, one has to wonder: can the spirit of muscle cars truly be captured with software and speakers? Or is Dodge’s approach merely a band-aid solution, a way to ease the transition for those of us who mourn the loss of the V8’s thunderous cry?
Only time will tell if these technological tricks can fill the void, but for now, it’s clear that the muscle car, as we know it, is changing. And for die-hard enthusiasts, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
