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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 bzipitidoo on Monday July 11 2022, @06:34PM (1 child)
Car audio has been pretty weird for quite a while now, and politics is why. Just try to find a car radio that can play Opus from a flash drive. Last time I went hunting for an aftermarket car radio, some years ago, I couldn't find such a thing, and, further, my inquiries about those capabilities got me a lot of askance. How can any audiophile not have heard of FLAC? Yet "FLAC? Opus? Never heard of it" is the attitude I got from the retailers and manufactures. No, you have to employ a personal device and connect it to an "audio in" jack -- if you can. I understand Apple is trying their utmost to sunset the analog audio connector? In the US, you will also have some difficulty finding a personal device that can handle Opus, thanks to Microsoft trying to kill off every other audio format that might compete with their proprietary WMA format. They would've done mp3 too, but it was too well known.
One of he weirdest things is the clinging to the audio CD. Has to be publishers behind that one. I'm sure consumer electronics manufacturers also like the high maintenance aspect. The optical media player breaking down is, I suspect, a top reason to go out and buy a new radio.
Another thing I found somewhat annoying was the hype about satellite radio. Bought a used car with this Sirius FM capable radio, and for the next year, I was receiving, in snail mail, come ons from them. Try it for one month for free! I am fairly sure the used car dealership passed on my info to them, for $, of course.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Monday July 11 2022, @08:20PM
Ford's Sync 4 will play FLAC, along with MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV. Not Opus though.
They are disappearing from automotive audio systems as well. With bluetooth, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay, not enough people were still using them for them to keep them.
I was recently car shopping and nothing I looked at had a CD player in it from the factory. Granted I only shopped the US big 3 and Toyota. And I was looking at full size pickups which seem to be getting newer model entertainment systems over some other models from US manufacturers these days. Looks like most of the ones you can find in a 2022 are some imports and a few domestics that haven't been updated in a while.
Yea sat radio is just chock full of talk radio crap crammed with commercials. There are music channels without ads but why do I need those in 2022? It came with my last two vehicles (a 2008 and a 2022) and I never paid for it (or won't in the case of the 2022) after the trial, or really used it during. I can stream from my phone, carry days of downloaded music on my phone if I'm out of cell range, or stack up a USB thumb drive with enough music to last me for years. I just don't see the value in it. Maybe back in the mid-2000's sure, but today? Nope.