If you’d like to see what the next generation of muscle cars will be like, look no further than the 2008 Dodge ZEO Concept. The four-passenger sport wagon was designed for driving enthusiasts and tree-huggers alike. It’s equipped with an all-electric, lithium-ion battery powerplant that can go up to 250 miles before needing to be recharged. And even though it doesn’t burn gas, it certainly can burn rubber, going from 0-60 miles per hour in under six seconds.

The 2008 Dodge ZEO Concept is a four-passenger, 2+2 sport wagon that embraces the bold, expressive look of the Dodge brand, exhibiting a new, youthful breed of muscle car for the 21st century. Built for driving enthusiasts, it features an electric-only propulsion system with a lithium-ion battery pack capable of at least 250 miles. Unlike other such vehicles, the 2008 Dodge ZEO Concept is a four-door, four-passenger model that delivers function as well as environmental responsibility.

We’ve finally seen an electric -powered vehicle that has our motoring mouths salivating to find a backcountry road. The Dodge ZEO Concept is sleek, aerodynamic and appears to be speeding—even sitting on a display turntable. This four-door coupe just may be the hit of the 2008 concepts.

Motoring enthusiasts are enviro-friendly too, and the electric only ZEO promises to be just what we’re wishing for. Powering the rear wheels is a single 200-kW (268-hp) electric motor that reportedly propels the ZEO to 60 mph in under six seconds. That is up near HEMI-land, folks.

The sleek front-end design is low and aerodynamic while sporting the trademark, albeit modernized, cross-hair Dodge grille. It is illuminated, according to principal exterior designer Bill Zheng ZEO, “to communicate the use of electricity as the power source.” Large, 23-in. alloy wheels fitted with low profile Goodyear tires fill the round wheel arches, which are moved far to each corner suggesting superior handling characteristics..

The front and rear scissor doors suggest a 2+2 passenger layout, however, we would not want to be relegated to the rear cushions. Like may four place sporty cars the rear seat is best left to inanimate objects. The scissor doors imbue images of much more exotic sports cars not a practical environmentally friendly vehicle such as ZEO.

The interior is designed to resemble a sculpture carved from a single piece of material. The fabric wrapped surface begins in front of the driver then flows to door and continues to the rear. It then rounds back to the passenger side where it ends in a sloping surface. The center console also displays this continuity, as it divides the cabin from windshield to rear panel creating and definitive dual cockpit.

The steering wheel sports two closely located vertical spokes that leave 80-percent of the rim open to allow the driver to view the freestanding instruments. Gauges are displayed on a thin blue acrylic screen, which adjusts with the steering wheel. The center hub containing the airbag remains stationary as the wheel rim rotates.

With performance nearing Hemi proportions and an advanced l-i battery pack said to be capable of a 250-mile range, the ZEO makes “going green” not much of a compromise. We can’t wait to put this to real world testing. We know just the backcountry road.

Dodge ZEO Concept Vehicle Specifications

Vehicle Type Battery Electric Vehicle, performance sedan

“2+2″ passenger seating

Weight and Dimensions
Weight/GVWR 2650 lbs./3400 lbs.
Length 172.8 inches/4390mm
Width at H-point 68.6 inches/1743mm
Height 50.8 inches/1290mm
Wheelbase 109.9 inches/2792mm
Couple 1-2 29.2 inches/742mm
Front overhang 32.8 inches/832mm
Rear overhang 30.1 inhces/765mm
Track front/rear 64.1 inches/1628mm 65.8 inches/1671mm
Approach angle 10.2 degrees
Departure angle 24.6 degrees
Turn circle 40 feet/12.2m
Maximum width 76.5 inches/1944mm

Powertrain and Suspension
Layout Rear wheel drive

Motor Single electric
Power: 200 kW (268 hp)
Regenerative braking

Battery 64 kWh Li-ion battery pack

Suspension Front – SLA
Rear – SLA

Wheels and Tires
Tire size front P225/40R23×8 30.1 inches/764mm
Tire size rear P255/40R23×9 31.0 inches/788mm
Tire manufacturer Goodyear

Color Scheme
Exterior Orange Metallic
Interior Super White

Key Performance Attributes
0-60 mph 5.7 seconds
Standing ¼ mile 11.0 seconds
Top speed 130 mph
All-electric range 250 miles
Equivalent mpg 120 mpg