Are EV's going to accellerate the death of broadcast radio?

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Kookoo

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#310921 30-Nov-2023 11:29

I've been watching the Fully Charged channel on YouTube lately. One thing I found interesting is that quite a few of the entry-level models are going down the path of not having an entertainment console in the car at all, as a cost-saving measure. Instead they just offer a mobile phone cradle, connectivity and speakers. The one thing missing from this setup is the AM/FM radio, and considering how many of the radio listener base are drivers, this makes me wonder - are EVs going to bring along the death of the radio?

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#3166305 30-Nov-2023 11:37

Perhaps, the only radio I listen to in the car is live cricket commentary, which I can also stream.

I just picked up a new work car, and I told the dealer not to bother walking me through the radio functions, as I was just going to be using Apple Carplay.

RunningMan

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#3166306 30-Nov-2023 11:38

Pretty unlikely there's any relationship between the 2. The sort of person happy with no broadcast radio is probably pretty comfortable with streaming. Most broadcast radio is also available via a stream, so assuming that broadcast radio was something they wanted to listen to in the first place, then they can still do it.

MikeB4

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#3166387 30-Nov-2023 12:49

This thread got me thinking, I don't even know if our car has a radio receiver in it. I will have to check when my wife gets home from the office. The car is a 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross VRX PHEV. The last time I listened to broadcast radio was the night of the Kaikoura earthquake, I remember that as I had to hunt around for our radio to listen to emergency info, its now in our emergency kit. Before then I have no idea when I last listened probably a decade or so prior.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

gzt

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#3166409 30-Nov-2023 13:59

I listen to a few stations 50/50 with the downloads on my phone. Radio used to be an entertainment feature. Now I want it as a safety feature or I'd buy something for the glovebox for emergency use. It is needed.

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3166413 30-Nov-2023 14:05

quite a few of the entry-level models are going down the path of not having an entertainment console in the car at all, ~~as a cost-saving measure~~.

As differentiation between products.

An AM/FM radio is a trivial cost manufacturing a vehicle. There may be some small additional cost associated with AM as many parts of the world have abandoned this in favour of DAB radio, but it's insignificant as part of the bigger picture.

What is significant is the higher cost of safety measures and automation which are now expected or mandated on new builds. They can't use those features to differentiate between product tiers any longer, so they look for other incentives to make you spend more. I'd bet more people care about the radio than leather seats for example.

cyril7

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#3166414 30-Nov-2023 14:06

AM radio is useless in an EV, there is too much electrical noise, so most leave the AM band out.

Cyril

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wellygary

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#3166415 30-Nov-2023 14:13

Kookoo:

Are EVs going to bring along the death of the radio?

AM definitely, but a quick look shows that BYD, MG and I think Tesla?? still include an FM/DAB radio

Benjip

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#3166416 30-Nov-2023 14:14

One can only dream!

Goosey

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#3167722 4-Dec-2023 06:20

I heard not so long ago on a popular NZ FM news station news bulletin that in the US, there’s a push by the federal to enforce car makers to include at least FM radio.

it’s for emergency broadcast purposes…..

robjg63

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#3167794 4-Dec-2023 08:25

The Tesla Model Y and I gather the Model 3 certainly have an FM radio.

They don't have AM, because as noted above, there are logistical issues with trying to make AM radio work without excessive interference that the EV platform creates with that frequency.

I read somewhere that trying to get AM radio to work acceptably in an EV, requires larger external aerials and these cause wind drag - something EV builders really don't like.

I gather very few EV's are likely to have an AM radio.

I can't actually recall the last time I listened to anything on AM radio - even to my hearing impaired ears, it sounds flat and muffled compared to FM.

I also find that I use streaming when I am in the car - even with 'FM stations' - the main reason is that I can keep driving without losing reception.

(Brian FM Nelson works fine in Auckland!)

I know AM radio can cover much larger distances so it would be a logical solution for emergency broadcasts - but fewer and fewer households even have any sort of radio these days.

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jonathan18

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#3167796 4-Dec-2023 08:34

SirHumphreyAppleby:

quite a few of the entry-level models are going down the path of not having an entertainment console in the car at all, ~~as a cost-saving measure~~.

As differentiation between products.

An AM/FM radio is a trivial cost manufacturing a vehicle.

@SirHumphreyAppleby: I have a feeling you’ve not watched the Fully Charged videos that (I assume) the OP is basing this off?

I’m also a regular watcher of this channel, and one of their favourite areas is lightweight, small EVs - many being minimalist ‘micro-cars’ that can be driven on a motorcycle licence. My sense is that cost is definitely a key rationale to not include entertainment systems in many of these small EVs. Some come with a removable BT speaker as an alternative.

It’s a pity we’ll not probably see any of these here in NZ, though personally I’d not want to be involved in an accident when in one!

Videos here: https://youtube.com/@fullychargedshow/videos

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MadEngineer

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#3167799 4-Dec-2023 08:35

That would annoy me, I wouldn’t buy a car without an FM radio. Seems super weird to me especially when you’d normally expect any vehicle to have a radio in it for emergency use (not that it should replace one from your emergency pack).

Many of them can be set to automatically switch to traffic announcements (TA)… unsure if that’s employed in NZ

(In before someone poo-poos the audio quality. )

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alasta

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#3167805 4-Dec-2023 08:59

I have a petrol car and I think it has AM/FM but I wouldn't know. I just listen to RNZ National, BBC World Service and podcasts via Carplay.

I keep a small portable AM/FM radio with spare batteries in my backpack, as I always have my backpack with me if I am at work or travelling longer distances. That should suffice in a civil emergency.

Shindig

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#3167807 4-Dec-2023 09:06

The opposite from Kia. They provide DAB radio in the EV6.

Shame Kordia turned off the service years ago.

The little things make the biggest difference.

richms

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#3167820 4-Dec-2023 09:37

cyril7: AM radio is useless in an EV, there is too much electrical noise, so most leave the AM band out.

Cyril

I was told that, so I took my vintage portable black and white TV with AM/FM radio in it out in the tesla, tuned it in to some AM station in a foreign language and drove around a bit and it was no different to the same radio in my petrol powered ute.

Richard rich.ms

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