A software update will allow electric vehicles to have AM radios.
Ford has retracted its plan on ditching Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio in its future cars, including electric vehicles and Lincoln models. Ford CEO Jim Farley shared on social media that the company reversed its decision after speaking with government policy readers. He added that Ford EV owners without AM broadcast capability will be offered a software update.
Farley said that policy leaders wanted to keep the AM radio in cars as part of the government's emergency alert system, making it an essential feature.
We previously reported that a group of bipartisan Congressional lawmakers sent a letter to several automakers urging them not to ditch the AM radio in future vehicles. Representative Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Rep. Greg Pence (R-Ind.) sent a letter with 100 signatures to Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Volvo, Tesla, Polestar, Rivian, General Motors, and Mercedes-Benz. The letter argues that AM radio is an essential in-car feature despite the availability of other advanced technology.
"Despite new technologies, the elimination of AM radio from vehicles could still cause a serious communication issue during times of crisis, particularly in rural areas where broadband connectivity is unreliable. It is critical that automaker companies do not deprive the American people of AM radio, as it is a free and potentially life-saving source during emergencies," said Rep. Pence.
Ford eliminated the AM radio in the seventh-generation Mustang, which surfaced just a few months ago.
The Blue Oval brand also removed the AM radio from the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning electric pickup since the data collected showed that less than 5% of customers listened to it.
Ford is not the only carmaker that wanted to consign the AM radio to the history books. BMW started doing it way back in 2014 as the i3 and i8 didn't come with AM. Automakers such as Audi, Porsche, Tesla, and Volvo have also removed the bandwidth from their car's infotainment.
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