Photo: Catalin Gamacea
There’ll be a lot to miss once the last internal combustion engine chugs to a halt—the exhilaration of going through gears in a manual car and the seductive hiss of forced induction. We’ll definitely miss the free windshield wash after every gas fill-up. And perhaps more worrisomely, the AM Radio.
Yes, you read that right. Some auto manufacturers are thinking of completely dropping the AM radio from their electric vehicle fleet.
For those who love tuning into radio frequencies, it means no more sports or traffic reports over the radio and, more importantly, radio silence when it comes to easy-to-access public safety/emergency response announcements.
The new generation of car owners might not know this, but the AM, known as the Amplitude modification transmission, has been the lifeline during emergencies for decades.
If you accidentally tune into the AM frequency, you’ll probably bump into a local sports broadcast, a religious sermon, or an insightful political debate. But unbeknownst to most, the AM radio offers a vital resource during emergencies such as hurricanes, cyclones, and floods.
In some congested cities like New York, you’ll save a ton of time in traffic if you tune into an AM station for your traffic update. You’ll also stand a better chance of not getting stuck in a blizzard if your car radio is tuned to an up-to-the-minute weather report.
Well, some automakers plan to drop the AM radio on their electric vehicle fleets claiming there is electromagnetic interference that could likely affect the reception of AM radio signals.
Audi, BMW, Porsche, Tesla, Volvo, and VW (ID.4 Crossover) have already killed the AM radio in their EVs. According to car manufacturers, the electric motors in the vehicle generate electromagnetic frequencies running on similar wavelengths as AM signals. Consequently, they can create a buzzing sound, high-frequency hum, or cause the signals to fade in and out.
In an interview with News Nation, former FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) director Craig Fugate said, “AM radio provides the backbone of our national warning system. Of all the technologies, it’s the most resilient from everything, from cyber-attacks to new clear war.”
The former director warned that eliminating that system means that when other systems fail, the public will be less likely to be alerted when there’s a national emergency or when the president needs to address the nation.
Even though they had to deal with electromagnetic interferences in their units installing AM radio receivers, some manufacturers have successfully included them in their fleet in past models, including the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Ioniq.
It’s easy to argue that social media and smartphones generally offer better real-time updates. Still, in emergencies that involve a communication system breakdown (cellphone shutdown), broadcast radio such as AM could be the most reliable, cost-free mechanism accessible to the public.
It also has quite an impressive range (even over FM). According to Fugate, the AM system has been designed to withstand attacks on the system and infrastructure.
A Pew Research Survey marking 2023 World Radio Day discovered about 8 out of 10 Americans between the ages of 12 years and older listen to some terrestrial radio in a given week (83%, down from 89% in 2019).
The survey further discovered that nearly half the adult population in the United States sometimes or often gets news updates from the radio.
Additionally, a Nielsen Audio Today report found out about 92% of Americans listen to Am and FM radio stations using their smartphones.
What do you think? Should automakers enhance their systems to deal with frequency interruptions caused by the electric motor or do away with the AM radio altogether? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
For those who love tuning into radio frequencies, it means no more sports or traffic reports over the radio and, more importantly, radio silence when it comes to easy-to-access public safety/emergency response announcements.
The new generation of car owners might not know this, but the AM, known as the Amplitude modification transmission, has been the lifeline during emergencies for decades.
If you accidentally tune into the AM frequency, you’ll probably bump into a local sports broadcast, a religious sermon, or an insightful political debate. But unbeknownst to most, the AM radio offers a vital resource during emergencies such as hurricanes, cyclones, and floods.
In some congested cities like New York, you’ll save a ton of time in traffic if you tune into an AM station for your traffic update. You’ll also stand a better chance of not getting stuck in a blizzard if your car radio is tuned to an up-to-the-minute weather report.
Well, some automakers plan to drop the AM radio on their electric vehicle fleets claiming there is electromagnetic interference that could likely affect the reception of AM radio signals.
Audi, BMW, Porsche, Tesla, Volvo, and VW (ID.4 Crossover) have already killed the AM radio in their EVs. According to car manufacturers, the electric motors in the vehicle generate electromagnetic frequencies running on similar wavelengths as AM signals. Consequently, they can create a buzzing sound, high-frequency hum, or cause the signals to fade in and out.
In an interview with News Nation, former FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) director Craig Fugate said, “AM radio provides the backbone of our national warning system. Of all the technologies, it’s the most resilient from everything, from cyber-attacks to new clear war.”
The former director warned that eliminating that system means that when other systems fail, the public will be less likely to be alerted when there’s a national emergency or when the president needs to address the nation.
Even though they had to deal with electromagnetic interferences in their units installing AM radio receivers, some manufacturers have successfully included them in their fleet in past models, including the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Ioniq.
It’s easy to argue that social media and smartphones generally offer better real-time updates. Still, in emergencies that involve a communication system breakdown (cellphone shutdown), broadcast radio such as AM could be the most reliable, cost-free mechanism accessible to the public.
It also has quite an impressive range (even over FM). According to Fugate, the AM system has been designed to withstand attacks on the system and infrastructure.
A Pew Research Survey marking 2023 World Radio Day discovered about 8 out of 10 Americans between the ages of 12 years and older listen to some terrestrial radio in a given week (83%, down from 89% in 2019).
The survey further discovered that nearly half the adult population in the United States sometimes or often gets news updates from the radio.
Additionally, a Nielsen Audio Today report found out about 92% of Americans listen to Am and FM radio stations using their smartphones.
What do you think? Should automakers enhance their systems to deal with frequency interruptions caused by the electric motor or do away with the AM radio altogether? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Officials push back on electric vehicles dropping AM radio https://t.co/NcDCGXtPcV
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) March 15, 2023
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