American motor manufacturer Ford has reversed on a previous announcement that it will drop AM reception in its new vehicles. In a Twitter and LinkedIn post on May 23, CEO Jim Farley said that the rethink follows discussions with United States government policy leaders concerned about keeping emergency alerts that often are sounded on AM stations.
“We’ve decided to include it on all 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles,” Farley wrote. “For any owners of Ford’s EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software update.”
According to North Shore News, the move comes after a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers introduced a bill on May 23 calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require AM in new vehicles at no additional cost.
Sponsors of the ‘AM for Every Vehicle Act’ cited public safety concerns, noting AM’s historic role in transmitting vital information during emergencies, such as natural disasters, especially to rural areas.
Ford is not the only motor manufacturer that turned its back on AM. Other manufacturers have removed it from their electric vehicles over concerns of possible electromagnetic interference with EV powertrains.
There are other reasons AM may be losing popularity with carmakers. North Shore News quotes Ford spokesperson Alan Hall who said that Ford removed AM from the 2023 Mustang Mach-e and F-150 Lightning electric pickups after data collected from vehicles showed that less than 5% of customers listened to it.
