Amplitude modulation radio, also known as AM radio, has been around for over a century and was originally as big a technological advance as television or the internet in terms of revolutionizing the way humans interact. AM radio has also been trusted almost all of that time for use in emergencies because it is a tried and trusted way of communicating with millions of people and because AM radio has been around for a long time. cars for decades. The problem now is the electric motor and the AM . radio do not like each other, or so the automakers claim.
That means if you buy a new Tesla, you won’t get AM radio, and the same goes for the Ford F-150 Lightnings starting in the 2023 model year. AM radio is still a feature on the Ioniq 5 Hyundai’s and Toyota’s bZ4X, proving that this is not an impossible challenge for electric vehicle manufacturers.
Ford may have also had AM radio on F-150 Lightnings years ago, though it’s gone now, because of “electromagnetism” or something, according to a statement. published in a second story via The Wall Street Journal AM reporter Ryan Felton:
“Frequencies associated with AM radio tend to be directly affected by electromagnetic interference in EV propulsion systems,” Ford said in a written statement.
That doesn’t really explain how Ford was able to overcome this technological hurdle with earlier F-150 Lightnings, but Felton also reports that former leaders of the Federal Emergency Management Agency did sent a letter on Sunday saying that the automaker’s choice to ditch AM radio was bad.
The government should seek assurances that automakers will maintain AM radios in cars, seven former Federal Emergency Management Agency administrators said in a letter Sunday to the Transportation Secretary. Transportation Pete Buttigieg and several congressional committees were viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The problem, former officials said, is that AM radio serves as a backbone of the infrastructure behind the federal National Public Alert System, providing emergency warning and warning information from FEMA. to the public during natural disasters and extreme weather events.
“When all else fails, radio stations are often the last line of communication a community has,” said Craig Fugate, head of FEMA under the Obama administration. Mr. Fugate was one of the signatories of the letter.
More than 75 radio stations, most of which operate on the AM band and cover at least 90% of the US population, are equipped with backup communications equipment and generators that allow them to continue broadcasting information to the public. during and after an emergency, FEMA says.
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The argument for having AM radio in cars to use in emergencies is reason enough to keep it, perhaps even require it, in the same way that the government requires new cars sold in America to have other basic safety features. Reliable communications in an emergency? Seems like a nice thing to have.
There is possibly an even better argument for AM radio, however, which is: baseball. A baseball broadcast on AM radio is timeless, otherworldly, reliable, and blissful. An AM baseball broadcast that also cuts in to tell me when there is an emergency? Tesla owners will never experience such a heaven.
