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 MIRV888 on Monday July 11 2022, @06:51AM (6 children)
Have you ever dialed through the AM band while traveling in say Kentucky or Tennessee?
It's being removed in order to deny inflammatory, misleading, and outright false information from being disseminated to the low end of the bell curve.
Praise god and pass the ammo.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Rich on Monday July 11 2022, @11:42AM
YEAH! Rio Dio Radio, 100.000 watts of faith-healing power! All praise Eufaula Roop!
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 11 2022, @01:40PM
North Carolina has the most Xtian radio out of all the States I've driven through without stopping.
(Score: 4, Informative) by richtopia on Monday July 11 2022, @02:34PM
I thought AM radio was a safety requirement. Localized broadcasts for information is always in AM, I suspect most American drivers remember seeing a sign prompting them to tune their radios to 1310 or similar for road conditions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 11 2022, @04:43PM
No, it hasn't. There's not much point in removing stations completely, as most of them are now owned by a few corporations. A large part of why I stopped listening to radio is that the local content is mostly gone, even though I live in a major city and what does exist is of low quality compared with other methods of listening on the go. I bought a Bluetooth to aux converter and just listen to my own stuff coming in via my phone most of the time.
The only thing worth listening to is the news, but with so few independent options for that, it might as well not exist.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Monday July 11 2022, @07:18PM (1 child)
You forgot the really creepy ones calling for genocide in the name of our Lord (yes! REALLY!).
(Score: 2) by turgid on Tuesday July 12 2022, @06:09PM
Isn't Our Lord going to do that Himself come the End of the World? Why would he need mortals to do it for him? Religion makes no sense.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].