Dodge Charger Daytona: Stellantis tests solid-state battery tech in a muscle-car development car

Responsible: ad hoc news Lifestyle & Consumer Desk. Reviewed prior to publication on June 12, 2026 at 12:28:11 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Stellantis is using the Dodge Charger Daytona to test solid-state battery technology from Factorial Energy, turning the muscle-car nameplate into a live development platform. The companies said on June 11 that the FEST battery system is now being integrated into a Charger Daytona development vehicle for road testing focused on performance, safety and reliability.

That makes the Charger Daytona more than a headline EV badge. It is now a visible engineering tool for evaluating a battery format that automakers have long viewed as a potential step beyond conventional lithium-ion packs, especially where energy density and packaging efficiency matter most.

What Stellantis is testing in the Charger Daytona

The battery under test is Factorial's FEST, short for Factorial Electrolyte System Technology. Stellantis said the program will use the development vehicle on public roads, which is a meaningful step beyond lab-scale validation because it exposes the system to real-world temperature swings, vibration and driving loads.

For Dodge, the setup gives the Charger Daytona a second role alongside its market identity as an electric performance car. For Stellantis, it adds another data point in a broader push to move advanced battery chemistry from pilot programs toward practical automotive use.

Stellantis has not said the road-testing program changes the production version of the Charger Daytona, and the company has not disclosed a retail price tied to the solid-state development vehicle. Even so, the choice of a Charger Daytona development car is strategic: it places an experimental battery platform inside one of the group's most visible U.S. performance products, where the branding value is easier to understand than in a generic test mule.

On the consumer side, the Charger Daytona name still matters because it connects the technology story to a familiar U.S. model with strong recognition among Dodge buyers. On the engineering side, the focus is narrower: see whether the solid-state pack can hold up under everyday driving conditions and whether it can support the demands of a performance vehicle over time.

Within Stellantis' portfolio, the project also illustrates how the company is spreading advanced EV work across brands rather than isolating it in one premium line. That approach lets it test new hardware in a high-visibility vehicle while keeping the product story grounded in a mainstream American badge.

Shares of Stellantis (NL00150001Q9, ticker STLA) traded on the NYSE at about $13.87 on June 12, 2026.

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