ATLANTA — At last count there were 42,500 electric vehicles registered in Georgia, sparking questions about the future of AM radio in those vehicles.
After seeing numerous reports on the topic, an 11Alive viewer wants to know if electric vehicle manufacturers are eliminating AM radio.
Question
Are electric vehicle manufacturers eliminating AM radio?
Sources
Answer
Yes, there are some electric vehicles without AM radio due to electromagnetic interference but many EV manufacturers will continue to offer it.
What we found
More than a dozen automobile manufacturers currently producing electric vehicles.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation provided 11Alive with letters written by representatives of those manufacturers. They were responding to a U.S. Senator who had the same questions as our viewer.
Several manufacturers acknowledged that electromagnetic interference can cause severe disruption to an AM radio signal.
A representative of Mazda wrote that the company dropped AM radio in its MX-30 electric vehicle due to interference from the vehicle’s “battery powered motor and electronics.”
In the letters, Mazda, BMW, Volvo, Ford, and Polestar said they have all dropped AM radio on one or more of their electric vehicles.
The rest of the responding EV manufacturers report they’ll continue to provide a free AM signal.
Members of congress expressed concern because emergency announcements are typically broadcast over AM radio.
Mitsubishi Motors uses radio noise reduction measures to deal with interference to the AM signal. Meanwhile, Tesla offers a streaming app with AM.
So, we can verify that there are some electric vehicles without AM radio due to electromagnetic interference but many EV manufacturers will continue to offer it.