The multimedia systems of many of the Electric, hybrid or PHEV cars that are sold today They don’t have AM radio. Or rather, they do not capture this radio frequency, which is practically extinct (although not so much in Spain). The argument of the brands is that it can cause interference in the electrical mechanics.
But that in EU is going to change: a bill has just been approved that will require new cars to be equipped with AM radio as standardAnd the American alert system broadcasts precisely on this frequency.
Standard by law: “without additional payment, fee or surcharge or as an optional extra”
“AM radio is irreplaceable. It is a fundamental bastion for democracy,” This is how Republican Senator Ted Cruz defines itpromoter of this regulation together to Democrat Ed Markey. It is therefore a bipartisan Act and has enough support to achieve a majority that is proof against allegations. The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the text last Wednesday and the final step is for the full House (the US Congress) to do so.
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Bottom line: This law will soon become a reality. This will result in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTA)NHTSA (for its acronym in English) will require brands to equip their cars with AM radio “without additional payment, fee or surcharge or as an optional extra”.
AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio frequency, also known as MW (Medium Wave) in Spain, operates at lower frequencies and longer wavelengths. This allows it to pass through solid objects and travel farther than FM frequencies. For this reason, it is the one used by the US National Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to send alerts to the public.
According to the defenders of this regulation, if cars stop incorporating the radio AM in their multimedia systems, they do not receive this type of communication during natural disasters such as hurricanes or floods. It is a “life-saving communication tool”Markey argues.
Electromagnetic interference in the electric motor? Since 2020, all cars sold in Europe are equipped with a DAB radio receiver as standard, which is recommended by the EU government. Thus, few cars include one anymore. AM radio that they consider obsoletewhich includes vehicles imported into the U.S.
But in addition, in the case of electrified cars, the reasons according to the brands are technical: this frequency, they maintain, can produce electromagnetic interference in the propulsion system. The AM frequency can be affected by electrical devices, which does not happen with FM or DAB radio. This happens with mobile phones and computers.
This is what BMW argued in 2015 to Green Car Reports when it was questioned that the i3 radio did not receive AM. And that same reason is what was pointed out Tesla when he decided to remove it from his cars since 2018: With an update it allowed to keep DAB and FM, but not AM. Brands like Mazda, Volkswagen o Volvoas well as exclusive electric ones such as Polestar o Rivian They also do not equip AM in their multimedia systems, to name a few.
This regulation, which will soon be published, has its detractors, starting with the manufacturers themselves, since having to include it again will mean more costs at a difficult time for the industry. Especially in the case of European companies that import to the US and that no longer incorporate this technology in favor of digital radio.
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“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 Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic senator from New Jersey. In any case, the brands will have no choice: the cars will have to be equipped with AM in order to be sold on American soil.
Spain is one of the few European countries where this frequency is still broadcast: It is done by the National Radio of Spain (RNE)as well as SER and COPE. In Spain, DAB radio has barely 20% coverage, with FM being the most widely used.
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The news
The electric car industry tried to kill off AM radio because it caused interference. It backfired: it will be mandatory by law in the US
was originally published in
Motorpasion
by Alejandra Otero .
Source: www.motorpasion.com
