Will electric cars kill terrestrial radio?

That’s the question posed in an article posted at consumerguide.com (read it at https://bit.ly/3nuTrGK), which talks about a very real problem affecting radio in general, AM in particular.

The problem is that the motors and electronics in electric cars create interference that is very close in frequency to that of stations in the AM band.

And in some cases, most notably more expensive models from high-end manufacturers, the “fix” is to leave AM out of the radio altogether.

As electric cars get more popular — or mandated as in California — it could lead to the demise of America’s oldest broadcasting band, at least while traveling. In most of the country, in-car listening is a huge portion of overall listening to radio.

As explained in the story, “Electromagnetic frequencies generated by EV motors happen to be comparable in wavelength to AM radio signals. The competing signals clash, effectively canceling each other, as if they were opposing forces. As EV motors grow more powerful, AM static tends to increase.”

It’s not a new problem. Indeed, many cars and trucks have fought radio interference for decades, even in cars with gasoline engines. Ignition systems, electric motors driving cooling fans, windows and even the heating system can cause interference. But in the past, manufacturers were able to add shielding, ground systems, or even noise suppressors.

In reality, this can be done today, and perhaps might be a legal requirement: FCC rules require that no consumer component cause interference to radio reception, and must accept interference from broadcast radio transmission. But to my knowledge, the rule has not been enforced with any regularity in years. Indeed, LED lights, cable boxes, fluorescent lights, and computers and more all cause interference, and I haven’t heard of any product being pulled off the market for doing so.

Manufacturers have tried to find solutions, but those solutions add cost and weight to the cars – something the manufacturers are loathe to do. In the end, it’s easier just to leave it out.

FM is not totally immune either, as it too has challenges being received in a moving car. For now, it’s primarily AM, though, and the manufacturers removing it from the dashboards of at least some of their all-electric cars include BMW, Tesla, Porsche, Volvo, and Audi. Interestingly, models from more common brands such as those from Toyota, Ford, and General Motors have kept AM in their electric models. This may change when Cadillac releases new models in the future.

One solution is to put everything on the web, but that creates its own issues: not every station streams their signals on the internet, it costs stations to do so, and it costs consumers when they have to subscribe to either an in-car internet service or use their cell phones to provide a signal. Once internet access is universal, however, some say this may be the future and put AM and FM stations on par for sound quality and distance reception.

(I’ll have a story on this in the future).

But in the meantime, I can’t help but think that much of this has to do with programming. If AM listening was more popular, consumers would demand that AM not only be included but would sound good. Like the early days of automobiles and broadcasting, solutions would be found. That they are not, and people are still buying Teslas, proves there is a problem.

In other words, and to repeat what I have been saying for years, if AM stations gave a reason to listen, people would, and demand that their station could be heard while driving.

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Related: if AM can be removed from the dash, is FM at risk as well? Absolutely. As the mobile dashboard becomes more of an all-encompassing entertainment system with access to various online music and podcast services, some observers do indeed see a day when cars don’t have a radio at all.

I don’t see it that way, and in fact, I think solutions will be found to allow both AM and FM to continue to be found in the dash, especially as more manufacturers market electric cars. I may be wrong, but I think there are some simple solutions — or at least solutions that, once found, can be spread as a common design feature.