Dodge debuted the Charger Daytona Banshee concept about six months ago, introducing the world to what electric muscle could look like. When the coupe emerged for slow drive-by in front of a live audience, the driver stabbed the throttle pedal a few times to tout the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system designed to restore some soul to the EV powertrain. We are 100% behind SRT’s commitment to rescue ICE sounds from EV oblivion; more than half the thrill of any outing to Cars & Coffee is the noise. But that first noise — like every first draft — wasn’t quite there, too heavy on the electric, too light on the motor. Dodge tuners reworked the mix and debuted a new Fratzonic sound at the Chicago Auto Show’s Concept & Technology garage. As the video above demonstrates, the second draft is much better, with more low-end and more rumble.
As a reminder, the Fratzonic exhaust is not only an external speaker system, it’s akin to a pipe organ using air through tuned chambers to produce noise. The final sound is a composite of information such as throttle position and speed. It’s loud, too, with a volume of up to 126 decibels, same as a Hellcat’s exhaust.
With the production version not slated to start down lines until 2024, we imagine there are more revisions in store. Nor will Dodge be the only one brainstorming how to add life to electric powertrains. Lamborghini already applied to trademark electric sound clips for its coming hybrid V12 powertrain, and Ferrari’s trying to patent a system for its coming electric cars it promises will be emotional.
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