2023-05-24 15:00:06
Ford has reversed its decision to build new vehicles without AM radios after pressure from lawmakers.
CEO Jim Farley wrote in posts on Twitter and LinkedIn on Tuesday that AM radio will be included in all 2024 Ford and Lincoln Motor vehicles, a decision the executive reached “after speaking with political leaders about the importance of AM radio broadcast as part of the emergency. alert system.”
Last week, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers introduced a bill asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require AM on new vehicles at no additional cost.
Sponsors of the “AM for Every Vehicle Act” have argued that AM radio has historically helped transmit crucial information during emergencies, particularly in rural areas.
The move was prompted by decisions by many automakers, including Ford, Tesla, BMW, Volkswagen, and Mazda, to remove AM radio from their new electric cars.
The companies said the electric motors can interfere with the sound of AM radio stations.
“I think if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets into space, he can afford to put AM radio in his Teslas,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, the bill’s lead sponsor in the House. of Representatives, in a statement last week.
Instead, Elon Musk, Tesla and other automakers are putting public safety and emergency response at risk.”
On Tuesday, in response to Ford’s announcement to keep AM radio, Gottheimer again called on Tesla, as well as other automakers, to follow Ford’s lead and “realize how important AM radio is as the backbone behind the US National Public Alert System.
“When the cell phone runs out, the internet goes down, or the TV doesn’t work because there’s no power or electricity at home, you can still turn on your AM radio,” he said.
According to a Ford spokesperson, the automaker had already removed the AM frequency from the 2023 Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck after data collected from the vehicles showed less than 5% of customers were listening to it.
Due to electrical interference, it made sense to remove it from future vehicles.
Ford also removed the AM radio from the 2024 gas-powered Mustang, but plans to add it back before either vehicle is delivered.
Farley said Ford will offer a software upgrade for electric vehicles on the road today without AM broadcast capability.
In particular, the executive did not promise to keep AM radio in its vehicles in perpetuity. In his social media posts, Farley said Ford “will continue to innovate and provide better in-vehicle entertainment and emergency notification options in the future.”
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing major automakers, criticized the bill, saying the AM radio mandate was unnecessary.
“The fact that AM radio is physically installed in vehicles *does not influence* the ability of drivers to receive emergency alerts through the multiple modes of communication available in cars manufactured today,” the group said via a tweet.
According to Nielsen data, more than 80 million people in the US listen to AM radio on a monthly basis.
Why don’t manufacturers want AM radio in their EV’s?
The electric car is here to help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but as its adoption grows, it could also fuel the decline in listening to medium wave stations.
Audi, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen, Tesla, and Volvo have stopped incorporating AM radio receivers into their new EV vehicles.
Most manufacturers defend their position by arguing that electric cars generate more electromagnetic interference than combustion cars.
Consequently, the reception of AM signals is impaired.
Instead of receiving a clear message, listeners are faced with transmissions filled with static, high-frequency hum, and dropouts.
Although many manufacturers have decided to say goodbye to AM radio, some have not yet taken that step.
The big three of Detroit, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, are currently electric cars with medium wave receivers, although everything seems to indicate that they will not do so for much longer.
The F-150 Lightning will leave that group in 2023, and other models could follow that path.
The problem of electromagnetic interference, however, would only be part of the story. According to The New York Times, experts believe that reception problems can be solved.
Electromagnetic interference could be controlled with better wear layers on cables, filters, and the relocation of certain electronics in the car.
It is a solution that requires more effort and budget from manufacturers.
If this trend continues, the farewell of emissions issued throughout the world could be accentuated.
In the case of Europe, in the last decade, several FM and AM stations have closed to give way to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting).
In this, the European Electrical Communications Code (EECC) encourages car manufacturers to incorporate digital receivers in their new vehicles.
But DAB is not perfect. While it has benefits such as better sound quality and robustness against interference, it also requires equipment that is currently more expensive to purchase, install and maintain.
This, together with other factors, has meant that its use is not advancing at the same rate in all countries.
Source: techcrunch and Xataka
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