A recent story caught my eye. I live in a part of the country that isn’t served by OTA media, except for a few AM radio stations. It’s not that I’m in the market for a Ford or a Tesla EV, but that I read the reply from the automakers and smelled BS. I have a GROL and am quite familiar with how radios and signals work.
You see, EV technology can potentially cause interference with AM station signals in car radios. This is because the electric motor and power electronics in an EV can generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can affect the reception of AM radio signals. AM radio signals are transmitted at relatively low frequencies, which makes them more susceptible to interference from EMI than higher frequency signals like FM and digital radio. In addition, the wiring and other components in EVs can also act as antennas, picking up and radiating EMI.
BUT, manufacturers of EVs and car audio systems take steps to minimize this interference. They use shielding and filtering to reduce EMI, or position components in a way that minimizes their impact on radio reception. In some cases, software updates may also be used to improve radio performance.
Overall, whilst EV technology can potentially cause interference with AM radio signals, steps are taken to minimize this and it is unlikely to be an issue for modern vehicles.
So what’s the real reason car manufacturers want to eliminate AM radios? Maybe it’s like the elimination of spinning discs in laptops, or CD/DVD burners … it saves them a few quid in costs. Or … maybe it’s that they don’t want you to hear your talkshow (which, BTW, is likely available for download on most podcasting apps). What do you think?
I don't believe any power brokers would choose to put their time and energy into disrupting AM radio. As you said, there are other - more popular, and more accessible to a geographically broader audience - sources for most programming that is broadcast on AM. I would hazard a guess that AM is just not popular enough within those car manufacturers' targeted marketing demographics to be worth the trouble to them to address.
I don't believe any power brokers would choose to put their time and energy into disrupting AM radio. As you said, there are other - more popular, and more accessible to a geographically broader audience - sources for most programming that is broadcast on AM. I would hazard a guess that AM is just not popular enough within those car manufacturers' targeted marketing demographics to be worth the trouble to them to address.