{"id":617645,"date":"2023-03-13T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/13\/emergency-officials-sound-the-alarm-on-electric-vehicles-dropping-am-radio\/"},"modified":"2023-03-13T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T20:00:00","slug":"emergency-officials-sound-the-alarm-on-electric-vehicles-dropping-am-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/13\/emergency-officials-sound-the-alarm-on-electric-vehicles-dropping-am-radio\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency officials sound the alarm on electric vehicles dropping AM radio"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ArticlesWrap\">\n<article data-id=\"519227\">\n<div>\n<p>\n  EV propulsion systems cause AM radio interference, but experts maintain easy access to the stations are still vital.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n                    <span><br \/>\n          By<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/authors\/andrew-paul\/\" rel=\"author\">Andrew Paul<\/a><br \/>\n              |<br \/>\n    <span><br \/>\n    <time datetime=\"2023-03-13T16:00:00-04:00\"><br \/>\n    Published Mar 13, 2023 4:00 PM EDT<br \/>\n    <\/time><br \/>\n  <\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/uploads\/2023\/03\/13\/Depositphotos_16346823_L.jpg?auto=webp&#038;width=1440&#038;height=810\" alt=\"Backlit radio dial showing the marker running through different stations and frequencies\" decoding=\"async\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><\/p>\n<p>AM radio is a lifeline during major emergencies, but EVs are quickly dropping support due to interference issues. <span><a href=\"https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/16346823\/stock-photo-radio-dial-with-lights.html\">Deposit Photos<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>Amplitude modification transmissions, better known as AM, have been a mainstay in traditional car radios for decades. But consumers\u2019 adoption of electric vehicles could soon end the avenue for easy-to-access public safety announcements\u2014and emergency response experts are sounding the alarm.<\/p>\n<p>AM radio may be most often associated with rural church pastor sermons, local high school football coverage, and colorful talk radio hosts, but it actually still serves an extremely vital purpose\u2014few sources are as reliable during disasters and emergencies. These messages can travel the farthest on <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2017\/9\/9\/16271110\/radio-cellular-technology-emergency-broadcasts-storms-hurricane-explained\" rel=\"noopener\">low radio frequencies<\/a>, and AM operates on some of the lowest: between 525 to 1705 kHz. Time and again, they inform <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/10\/business\/media\/am-radio-cars.html\" rel=\"noopener\">upwards of 47 million Americans<\/a> of real-time federal and state information for <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/environment\/2022-atlantic-hurricane-season\/\" rel=\"noopener\">hurricanes<\/a>, <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/environment\/texas-tornadoes-2022\/\" rel=\"noopener\">tornadoes<\/a>, <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/science\/nasa-planes-improve-snowstorm-forecasts\/\" rel=\"noopener\">snowstorms<\/a>, <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/environment\/oak-wildfire-california-climate-change\/\" rel=\"noopener\">wildfires<\/a>, and other major public safety incidents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[Related: <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/pete-buttigieg-interview-traffic-deaths\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Pete Buttigieg on how to improve the deadly track record of US drivers<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, many current electric vehicles\u2019 propulsion systems generate electromagnetic noise that can interfere with AM signals. Both Tesla and Ford have already <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/your-tesla-can-go-zero-to-60-in-2-5-seconds-but-cant-get-am-radio-1541523098?mod=article_inline\" rel=\"noopener\">dropped AM support<\/a> in their vehicles, including the 2023 <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/ford-f-150-lightning-review\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Ford F-150 Lightning<\/a>, and emergency management professionals are worried the cuts could spread.<\/p>\n<p>As <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/electric-vehicles-need-am-radio-former-emergency-officials-argue-9e69e297\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a> reports, seven former administrators of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent a letter on Sunday to both <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/pete-buttigieg-interview-traffic-deaths\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg<\/a> and several congressional committees, urging legislators to guarantee continued AM radio support in carmakers\u2019 EVs. According to FEMA via <em>WSJ<\/em>, an estimated 75 radio stations operating on the AM band covers over 90 percent of the entire US population, and are reinforced by backup comms equipment and generators allowing them to continue issuing crucial information in the event of an emergency. Although <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/rivian-polestar-climate-report\/\" rel=\"noopener\">EVs\u2019 arrival<\/a> are needed to speed transitioning to a green transportation industry, losing an affordable, easy-to-maintain, and reliable safety tool could create major problems in the future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[Related: <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/rivian-polestar-climate-report\/\" rel=\"noopener\">EV companies call out their own weaknesses in new clean energy report<\/a>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sen. Ed Markey (D, Mass) previously <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/news\/local-news\/2022\/12\/04\/the-end-of-am-radio-in-your-car-not-if-ed-markey-has-anything-to-say-about-it\/\" rel=\"noopener\">drew attention to the situation<\/a> in December 2022 via a letter to 20 EV manufacturers, urging them to commit to continue AM availability in their products. The <em>WSJ<\/em> reports that the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a group representing major carmakers in the US, pledged a commitment to \u201cmaintaining access to safety alerts,\u201d and has been meeting with the National Association of Broadcasters to discuss possible solutions.<\/p>\n<p>For now, at least two automakers\u2014Hyundai and Toyota\u2014have stated they have no plans to remove AM radio support from their EV models, although representatives for the latter company conceded to <em>WSJ<\/em> that AM radio static \u201cis a challenge\u201d in its electric models.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"SingleAuthor\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/uploads\/2022\/11\/16\/E034PNB64K1-U03RZMMSNL9-fc6f23bf2822-512.png?crop=1:1,smart&#038;width=80\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" alt=\"Andrew Paul\">\n      <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/technology\/am-radio-electric-vehicles\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Andrew Paul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EV propulsion systems cause AM radio interference, but experts maintain easy access to the stations are still vital. By Andrew Paul | Published Mar 13, 2023 4:00 PM EDT AM radio is a lifeline during major emergencies, but EVs are quickly dropping support due to interference issues. Deposit Photos Amplitude modification transmissions, better known as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":617646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2831,534,348],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-617645","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-emergency","8":"category-financial","9":"category-officials"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}