Dodge Daytona SRT BEV Comes with an Interesting Red Button

The next-gen Dodge Charger Daytona SRT electric vehicle was finally revealed back in March 2024, and people are still talking about it. It’s still going to take a while for the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) to hit dealerships, but the production version of the Daytona SRT BEV looks just as good as the teasers released when an all-electric Charger still seemed like a fever dream. With prototypes being tested before the official production starts, fans are catching glimpses of the Daytona SRT BEV on the streets, and it seems an interesting safety feature has been installed.

Back when Dodge first announced eMuscle, a new brand of the automaker, they were sure to let us know these electrified vehicles would still have the same SRT power consumers know and love. To test things out, Dodge first went with the Hornet. The first iteration of the model was an all-gasoline vehicle, the last hurrah one could say. Of course, the automaker also had many “last call” series. In August 2022, Dodge announced its “Last Call” special edition models of the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, followed by the “Last Call” for HEMI®-powered Dodge Challenger and Charger models in July 2023, and finally the “Last Call” for V8 Dodge Durango models in January 2024. The first one, the Dodge Durango SRT 392 AlcHEMI is available now.

Circling back to the Dodge Hornet, the first iteration was an all-gasoline model powered by a 2.0L Hurricane4 Turbo engine, able to generate 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The gasoline version came with the trims GT and GT Plus. Later in the same year, Dodge released the Dodge Hornet plug-in hybrid, powered by a 1.3-liter I4 Turbo PHEV engine, able to generate 288 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. No slouch, the PHEV version of the Hornet (R/T and R/T Plus) was able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, making it the fastest compact utility vehicle. Once that was a success, it was time to go all electric with the Daytona SRT BEV model.

Powered by a 400V propulsion system, the dual electric drive module (EDM), is capable of generating 335 horsepower (250 kW) and 300 lb-ft of torque for the base Daytona SRT Scat Pack trim. The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT R/T kicks it up a notch, able to generate 496 horsepower. Better yet, Dodge Direct Connection is said to offer after-market power modules, able to push it to 670 horsepower, maybe more with the yet to be announced Banshee trim. With all this power, Dodge also wants to make sure the driver is always in control with select advanced safety features. One in particular has gotten the attention of the internet.

In a picture from a video courtesy of Swamp on YouTube, there seems to be a red button in a case installed in the center console of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT BEV. We’re surprised no other automaker has thought of this one yet. Let’s say an electric vehicle is in an auto incident, maybe even catches fire. Having a high-voltage battery in the car might be a problem if the fire spreads. To ensure things don’t go ka-boom before the driver or occupants can get out of the car, the driver can hit this red button and shut off the power supply by disconnecting the battery pack. Pretty neat.

Well, there we have it. Dodge may be going electric, but it’s also being smart about safety in ways we didn’t think of. Want to keep up with all the news from Dodge and the Daytona SRT BEV? Follow along with us on Aventura Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram social media. You can also find a new Dodge Hornet at Aventura Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram right now.

Photo Source/Copyright: Stellantis Media