Conservatives say liberals want to kill talk radio. But there’s plenty else on the AM dial – much of it essential
so hear me out… not a popular opinion by any stretch of the imagination… but the real reason manufacturers are doing this is because of how much RF spectral splatter EVs put out (think inverters/switching noise, computers, etc) and it’s bad news for ham radio operators that use AM/SSB bands. it’s cheaper to ignore the problem than it is to EMI shield everything to reduce the noise floor low enough so that the AM receiver works in the car, otherwise you’ll hear a bunch of static/popping/whining from the EV electronics that make the AM radio effectively useless. a similar concern that has since gone away was the battle over BPL [broadband over powerline] for the same reasons in that power lines would be effectively big antennas radiating crap in the AM bands. personally, i’m in favor of keeping AM around if it forces these manufacturers to follow proper EM shielding practices, but again… minority opinion for my own selfish reasons. the FCC doesn’t give a shit about ham radio, so it’s not looking good.
Damn, I wasn’t aware of this aspect of electric vehicles, but that makes sense and is interesting. Thanks for posting, looks like I have some reading to do.
and it’s not an easy problem to solve. proper EMI mitigation is a super tough engineering problem that you can make an entire career out of (and make good money doing so). there are so many sneak paths that can pop up that it turns into a constant game of whack-a-mole… simple things like applying a piece of tape to a cable harness next to a metal plate can either make the product pass or fail a radiated emissions spec…it’s crazy. and the automotive industry is so behind in the latest tech, the whole chip shortage thing during covid was because they’re using way outdated process nodes that no one wants to invest money in. don’t get me wrong, my fellow EEs in automotive do a good job given what they have to deal with, but they don’t have the experience in RF like us cellular/radio guys… obviously.
I stopped using AM radio over a decade ago when I tuned in to such vitriol and hate that I couldn’t continue listening.
Do people actually still listen to the radio?
The damned commie libs won’t even put shortwave in my car! HOW WILL I LISTEN TO MY FAVORITE NUMBERS STATIONS??
I grew up in a South Georgia farming community, AM Radio is/was full of farm programs in some rural places that don’t get good cellular signals meaning farmers can’t replace that info with a cell phone. I get that tech marches forward and old tech usually gets left behind, but in this case, I think it’s more than that for some communities. I agree though that the GOP has jumped on it only because a significant part of their reach could be cut off because between the morning and afternoon farm reports there was definitely Rush Limbaugh.
Most farmers I knew growing up would cling to old tech for as long as possible anyway, so I’m not sure how many are buying electric cars and pickups. But, as we march towards a more electric future it’s a concern I’m sure. The best option I can think of is, to have an optional, cheap but optional, AM Radio adapter kit of some kind.
Disclaimer: We moved from that rural community to a suburb of Raliegh and eventually settled in a Suburb of Atlanta so I have no clue if those same farmers are clamped to the AM like they used to be. I’m just saying I can see why farmers, and some rural people, could be very upset by this.
Portable AM radios still exist, and will continue to exist. Nobody is forcing them to stop using AM technology.
And I agree, they probably won’t be buying an electric vehicle anytime soon anyway lol
I listen to AM radio almost daily during baseball season. I’ll miss it in the cars.
Has your local channel not at least established an FM mirror? Mind did ages ago
This is my lament for it good thing there are so many ways for me to stream it on my phone
Funny that a democrat senator (Markey from MA) introduced a bill to prevent this (AM For Every Vehicle Act).
I’m far from conservative, but I don’t really want AM to be dropped either. It will hurt every AM station. Even those that are true local news stations that don’t spew conservative garbage.
That’s not a compelling reason on its own. If there aren’t enough people listening to AM radio for a radio studio to be profitable, perhaps that radio station does not need to exist?
Does it suck that Blockbuster isn’t around anymore? Maybe a bit for nostalgia reasons, but it went away because of a combination of poor business decisions and market forces. I don’t see how that is a problem that needs to be solved or avoided.
That’s not a compelling reason on its own. If there aren’t enough people listening to AM radio for a radio studio to be profitable, perhaps that radio station does not need to exist?
Well, they are profitable now. If cars move away from AM radio to make it easier on their own EMF emitting tech, then that’s an issue.
if only people had devices letting them tune into millions of “radio” channels anywhere that can be used through carplay or Android auto anywhere in the world with crystal clear audio…
The US is the only place that still even offers AM much less use the ancient crap.
If the market allows cars to not have AM radios, then obviously AM radio is not that important.
Also, cars are not the only way to listen to the radio.
I’d be annoyed to lose it, but I don’t think manufacturers should be forced to include it in every car.
I love how people here ignore that most government notifications about emergencies is over AM radio.
Who needs to be notified about sudden storms/tornados/accidents/AMBER Alerts while they drive the US? /s
Most people get their emergency notifications on their mobile phone.
Don’t have a mobile phone in the year 2020+??
Then you’re doing it wrong.
Does that mean you have to be on AM radio to hear about emergencies? That’s real stupid, I honestly forgot AM radio existed, why not just broadcast to FM?
Yes you would have to be listening to an AM station. I almost never listen to the radio, but when I do it is an FM station. The EBS breaks into that when any emergency arises.
No issues with radio in my car.
I think they just want to cut costs and push subscription based media.
Yeah I have AM in my EV as well, though I can’t say I’ve tried it. Plus if the EMF were the actual reason, wouldn’t the alternator in ICEs cause similar interference?
you will actually hear junk from the alternator in the AM band if the voltage regulator(s)/rectifier goes bad or a ground gets corroded… the lead acid battery provides a nice smoothing function (almost ideal voltage source) since the alternator and engine have a low impedance bond to the negative terminal (system ground). the low frequency spectral emissions (very low harmonic content) from 1 alternator and associated circuitry is a much simpler problem than all the computers, ac inverters (induced high frequency currents running around everywhere), wiring harnesses, etc. that all act as rf generators/antennas.
