Fox News star Sean Hannity is joining his network colleague and fellow talk radio kingpin, Mark Levin in blasting electric vehicle automakers for a little-known, yet highly consequential decision.
The phasing out of AM radio in new vehicles. Those include new model EVs from Volkswagen, Telsa and Ford.
For decades, countless millions have listened to talk radio in their cars, with hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly and dozens more impacting America's body politic.
Hannity warned his Fox News audience on Thursday that will change soon. Unless drastic action is taken. Echoing Levin's earlier warning, he called the decision a “direct hit” to conservatism.
Auto manufacturers say they're ditching AM radio because the frequency band used for AM radio interferes with electromagnetic frequencies in EV motors. The interference produces a weak signal and buzzing sound.
Hannity isn't having their excuse, calling it “incomprehensible” to Fox News Digital:
“It's not complicated to put in a radio system that allows you to have AM FM, Sirius XM, or the ability to plug in your own music from your own phone,” Hannity told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And I think people want more options, not less options. And this would be a direct hit politically on conservative talk radio in particular, which is what most people go to AM radio to listen to.”
“So is there a political component to it? Certainly feels like it,” he added.
…
“People paid a lot of money for those signals, and they pay that money to, you know, the federal government [that] gives out these licenses. What's the point if they're going to take away a significant percentage of the population's ability to even get the station they would listen to the most while they're driving?” Hannity wondered.
And since the federal government grants licenses to radio stations, it's in his view that Congress has the “responsibility” to “protect that which they oversee, and they shouldn't have a political agenda associated with it or behind it.”
READ NEXT: Utah Republican Inches Toward Mitt Romney Senate Challenge
Other EV Issues:
Battery fires
Charging times
Range
Lack commercial chargers
State electrric rates
Insurance
Hacking
No road service IE Auto Club
The AM signal in the atmosphere exists whether there is a radio antenna in the car to receive it or not, and will, if it is the source of the interference as implied, continue to interfere with the electromagnetic frequencies in EV motors. The conversion of that AM signal to audio in the radio receiver in the car is/should be easy to shield from its surroundings, so that should not be the issue.
AM radios exist independently from automobiles, thus, unless the government steps in to ban AM radio entirely, deleting AM radios in EVs does not seem to resolve the manufacturers “concerns”.
However, the owner of Tesla does not appear to be radically anti-conservative. Something seems amiss in this action to remove AM radios from EVs.
The interference comes from switching high cutrrents to the EV motors. The AM signal does not interfere with the EV. Since the EV drive system interference is close to the radio in the EV the noise will interfere or even completely swamp the weaker AM signal unless you are close to the transmitter. Part of the testing done is to make sure a system is immune to signals transmitted in all the different frequency bands. It is called susceptibility testing, testing to see if a system is susceptible to interference. If you have ever seem pacemaker warnings posted it is because some may be susceptible to radiation leaking from a Microwave Oven for instance. There are different standards for different products, commercial allowing more interference to be radiated. If interference causes your phone to lock up momentarily it isn’t a critical failure. If interference cause yout pacemaker to jump you to 200 BPM or your car to lose its brakes and accelerate uncontrollably, that has to be fixed!
Translation: The radio DOES NOT interfere with the EV. If anything, the EV interferes with the radio. That directly contracts the claim made by EV manufactures, AND violates FCC regulations that have been in place for decades. Also note: changing which frequencies the EVs use is even EASIER than removing the radios.
Note: Even if everything you said was 100% accurate, it would NOT be a reason to get rid of AM radio.
Electric cars are crap to begin with! Why would you buy one? JUst a piece of junk relying on China’s minerlas to make the car batteries. Why would you make China richer by purchasing a junk electric vehicle! WAKE UP AMERICA! Your politicians are selling out the Nation to a Communist Country! Boycott everything that comes from Communist China!! They are evil!
The two technologies are incompatible. AM radio reception is susceptible to electrical noise. EVs likely generate more electrical noise than just about any other consumer item that is not an “Intentional Radiator” ie: a radio transmitter. In an EV the noise can be so great that it will cause interference with AM reception or completely swamp the radio signals on the AM band. FM reception, using a different demodulation technology is less affected by electrical noise, but is not immune to it. The EV’s interference can be reduced but would likely add substantial cost. Any manufacturer that does not suppress the noise will cause AM and possibly other types of radio receivers near their cars to be interfered with or even jammed. There are Federal regulations on the emission/radiation of noise which takes the frequency bands of communications equipment into account. The acceptable levels for commercial/industrial equipment is higher, they may be allowing those higher limits. What it all boils down to is the EVs are polluting the RF spectrum. A previous big polluter that really hurt the communications bands was Broadband Over Power Lines that causes huge negative impact on HAM Radio communications. The Pot grow houses also cause many AM stations to be completely blocked in some areas! In that situation it is the grow lights that cause the interference. These emissions were not allowed for other products and in the case of grow houses are almost certainly in violation of the FCC rules. I know because I worked in product regulations performing the testing for years on computer periphereals and Cellular Base Stations. I have not worked in EMC testing since 2006 so I don’t know what standards have been created to benefit EVs. The standards have either been relaxed for the EV industry, or the EV manufacturers are “cheating” and shipping a non-compliant product. AM is the most susceptible so if you delete it from the vehicle, the average consumer won’t know they are riding in a machine that is radiating magnetic and electric fields that wouild render an AM radio intolerable or useless. The bottom line is simple: they deleted AM to avoid the cost, negative publicity, and owner complaints from the interference. I seriously doubt the interference could be fully suppressed at a cost that consumers would be willing to pay! You would need to rebroadcast the AM band through another technology to get it to work. Since it is also a convenient excuse to ash can conservative speech, you can bet that won’t be forthcoming. So another new technology destroys an existing freedom and source of information. Ain’t technological advancement great!
“Auto manufacturers say they’re ditching AM radio because the frequency band used for AM radio interferes with electromagnetic frequencies in EV motors. The interference produces a weak signal and buzzing sound.”
It appears it’s a problem with the EV motors. Nothing wrong with the AM radio signal.
You are correct, AND the issue can EASILY be mitigated.
Well, the good news is……………………
Nobody ever has to worry about me buying an electric vehicle. EVER!
I know over-priced scams when I smell ’em, and EV’s are definitely in that category!!!
I assumed that certain states with lighted warning signs showing ahead in traffic always mentioned to turn to an AM station for further details on wrecks, workers or delays up ahead. The FCC broadcasts in AM to make sure “all” cars receive the alert message.