WASHINGTON DC (WSAU) – Numerous car manufacturers have started the process of phasing out AM radios due to worries that signals from short-wave transmissions may be adversely affected by the proximity of electrical components.
The AM for Every Vehicle Act was introduced in May by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA), along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House, according to the Post Millennial. If passed, this legislation would mandate that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration enforce that manufacturers guarantee that AM radio is included in every model for free in new vehicles.
Eight of the top 20 automakers in the world—BMW, Ford, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo—have eliminated AM radio from their cars, according to a press release that introduced the law in May.
Republican Senator Rand Paul said in November that incentives for electric vehicle purchases should be removed until these manufacturers decide to keep AM radio, saying, “Some of the new electric cars, what they’re saying is that the battery is so strong that it disrupts the AM signal. So there’s an extra cost if you want to have AM radio in electric cars. And what I’ve said is that if this is a problem for AM radio, maybe we shouldn’t be subsidizing these cars. You get people $7,500 per car to buy them, and it’s really the only reason people are buying electric cars, and it’s still a small percentage.”
According to a Center for Automotive Research analysis that Spectrum News first reported, EV-generated electromagnetic interference can cause AM signals to become fuzzy or unintelligible. Although there is a workaround, the cost to manufacturers could be as high as $3.8 billion over the next seven years.
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