Could AM radio in cars be on the way out?

In a world of connected cars, music streaming, podcasts and digital radio, car owners have never had more choice when it comes to what they can listen to on their commutes. With so many choices and advances in technology, some car brands in the US have stated that newer models will start to delete some of these choices, primarily AM radio.

In recent months, car makers in the United States have announced that future products including EVs will not include AM radio and this has many AM radio lovers angry. BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo have already removed the AM band from their electric vehicles siting that the vehicle's electric powertrain tends to generate electromagnetic interference with AM radio band.

Electromagnetic frequencies generated by EV motors are said to be comparable in wavelength to AM radio signals. Anyone who has listened to the AM band on a Melbourne road with tramlines above will be familiar with this audio sensation of static, high-pitch squealing and modulation.

This is one reason the BMW i3 did not have an AM radio back in 2014, Tesla stopped including it in the Model S in 2018, and it’s not available on any current Tesla models. Ford plans to drop AM altogether for all cars, irrespective of its drivetrain from upcoming models.

"We are transitioning from AM radio for most new and updated 2024 models," Ford spokesperson Wes Sherwood told the Detroit Free Press.

"A majority of US AM stations, as well as a number of countries and automakers globally, are modernising radio by offering internet streaming through mobile apps, FM, digital and satellite radio options. Ford will continue to offer these alternatives for customers to hear their favourite AM radio music, news and podcasts as we remove amplitude modulation — the definition of AM in this case — from most new and updated models we bring to market."

While owners of these vehicles will have the option to stream these AM stations on digital radio, satellite radio and via the internet, not all stations and areas have access to this technology.

The legislation called AM for Every Vehicle Act was presented to the US Congress in mid-May which would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue regulations to mandate AM radio in new vehicles without additional charges or fees. Prior to these new rules coming into force, carmakers selling vehicles without AM radio would be required to disclose that fact to customers.

In the US, the AM band is utilised for its emergency alert system used by state and local authorities to deliver emergency information, including during weather events and AMBER alerts to affected communities. This system also provides the President of the United States with the capability to address the public within 10 minutes during a national emergency.

The AM for Every Vehicle Act would also task the Government Accountability Office with identifying alternate communication methods that could match the effectiveness of AM radio for emergency alerts. As cars are one of the primary places where people have access to a radio, losing the AM band in future vehicles, EV or otherwise is a challenge to this system, and many argue, puts lives in danger.

Here in Australia, vehicles sold locally will likely lose the AM band, as more EVs and car makers move to heroing new connected technologies. While digital radio is well established across Australia’s capital cities and many other provincial regions, a vast majority of regional and rural Australia could miss out, proving a challenge for our own emergency broadcasting system which is facilitated via ABC local radio.

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