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WSJ News Exclusive | Electric Vehicles Need AM Radio, Former Emergency Officials Argue
Ex-FEMA heads say the band is important in emergencies, while auto makers say EV motors interfere with the signal.
www.wsj.com
"The lack of AM radio in some new electric vehicles could cut off drivers from important safety alerts broadcast over the medium, warned a group of former emergency officials in a letter Sunday...
“When all else fails, radio stations are often the last line of communications that communities have,” Craig Fugate, the head of FEMA during the Obama administration, said in an interview. Mr. Fugate is one of the signers of the letter.
More than 75 radio stations, most of which operate on the AM band and cover at least 90% of the U.S. population, are equipped with backup communications equipment and generators that allow them to continue broadcasting information to the public during and after an emergency, FEMA said.
“Should this continue, it will represent a grave threat to future local, state, and federal disaster response and relief efforts,” the letter said.
An estimated 47 million people listen to AM radio, according to media-tracking firm Nielsen."