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They say it's because of audio quality, but it isn't that simple:
It's easy to take for granted amenities in our cars like air conditioning and the radio, which have been standard equipment for longer than many of us have been alive. But the rise of electric vehicles is giving the auto industry the chance to rethink norms and jettison ideas that belong in the past. One of those ideas may be AM radios, which some carmakers say they won't include on future EVs, and which are already unavailable on a few. Car companies blame interference from EVs' drivetrains, but the answer isn't that simple—not by a long shot.
[....] EVs from Audi, BMW, Porsche, Tesla, and Volvo are sold without AM radios, and it's been that way for years.
[....] So are highly complex EVs incompatible with one of the oldest, simplest electronics? BMW and Volvo told me it was due to audio quality problems rooted in electromagnetic interference, of which EVs' drivetrains produce a significant amount. Cars' engines and other complex electronics have always made EM interference, but low-wattage static is relatively easy to shield against. It's not as simple with EVs that may pull hundreds of watts from their batteries
[....] But it's hard to take them at their word when EVs are built with AM radios and in no small numbers. Detroit's Three—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis—have produced or currently make EVs that include AM radio
Can radio be an addiction? I suppose it depends on the frequency.
Will the FCC cry foul if there is interference? Only if the batter hinders the catcher after a third strike.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by captain normal on Monday July 11 2022, @03:14AM
You beat me to it...
Back on topic: AM radio was part of our lives. It could (and still can) cover huge amounts of land and sea. Not only was it great for listening to Wolfman Jack on cross country drives, it was a great tool for navigation on the high sea. The broadcast towers were a fixture on nautical charts so with a fairly simple radio direction finder you could get a good bearing from them. Bearings to two stations gave you a pretty good fix, lines to three stations where a right on fix.
You can still do that but there are not as many high power AM stations these days. I still have a couple of my old RDF radios, they work great in the mountains where it's a FM dead zone.
When life isn't going right, go left.