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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Congress Set to Require This Old Technology in All New Cars
With a enough support for passage in both the US Senate and US House of Representatives, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act looks set to become law. Supporters have argued that AM radio benefits rural areas, for continuing access to emergency messaging and farm reports. But the band has largely left the radio dials in many parts of the world, including most of Europe, to little ill effect. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act seems headed for passage, having attained 60 co-sponsors in the US Senate (S.315) and 242 in the US House (where it is H.R. 979). The Senate's Commerce Committee passed the bill in February, and its support in the full Senate is considered filibuster-proof. With the argument that AM is essential for older Americans, as a conduit for emergency broadcasts, and for farm reports, the bill would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a rule requiring that cars made in the US or imported here 'have devices that can receive signals and play content transmitted by AM stations or digital audio AM stations installed as standard equipment and made easily accessible to drivers.' AM is that rare issue that hasn't become much of a political football, and its two main Senate co-sponsors are Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ed Markey (D-MA). When the bill got its 60th co-sponsor in the upper body, Cruz and Markey said in an April 1 statement, 'From emergency response to sports, entertainment and news, AM radio is a lifeline for tens of millions of Americans.' The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) agrees. According to NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt, 'For more than a century, AM radio has been a lifeline, delivering trusted news, local sports, crop reports and emergency information when and where it matters most. From rural communities to urban centers, from first responders to everyday commuters, over 80 million Americans rely on this free, local service to stay informed and safe every month.' Senator Markey told Autoweek that the bill ensures that AM 'stays standard in every new car, ensuring drivers and passengers have reliable access to emergency alerts when they need them most. 'Tens of millions of Americans have made it clear: They want AM radio in their vehicles, not off the dial. With a filibuster-proof 60 co-sponsors for this bipartisan legislation, I am working aggressively to pass my legislation on the fenate floor and enact it into law.' President Trump supports the bill, and told the National Religious Broadcasters during the 2024 campaign, 'I will protect the content that is pro-God. To that end, at the request of the NRB, I will do my part to protect AM radio in our cars.' He also said in the speech that Christian broadcasting, a lot of it on AM (120 AM stations are NRB members), is 'under siege.' Cameron Coats, online editor of the Radio Ink trade magazine, is confident that the bill will get a full Congressional hearing. 'I do think it will come up for a vote this year, though with all the budget issues it's on a bit of a delay,' he told Autoweek. 'And once it does get to the floor, the votes are there. And the President will sign it.' There'd be no need for such legislation if automakers hadn't started quietly deleting AM from their offerings, and not just in battery EVs (where they claim AM catches electromagnetic interference from the high-voltage electricity). Carmakers that have removed AM in at least some of their EVs include Tesla, Rivian, Mazda, VW, Volvo, Polestar, and BMW. It was out of the electric BMW i3 as early as 2015. Ford axed AM but then brought it back in 2023. Some Volvo plug-in hybrids have also done away with the band. AM is been included in electric cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Toyota BZ4X, the Subaru Solterra, and both versions of the Chevrolet Bolt. Also AM-positive are Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Stellantis and Subaru. Eliminating AM is by no means limited to the US. It's already significantly phased out in Europe (where it's called 'medium wave'), including in Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Belarus, Albania, and Belgium. AM is still being broadcast in the UK, though the transmitters for BBC 4 on that band were recently shut down across the country. Bauer Media also shut down AM transmitters. AM is holding on in Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. Approximately 40 countries have replaced regular broadcast radio with digital radio (DAB+). As of 2017, 420 million people were within reach of DAB. Australia was an early adopter, as was Germany. Norway shut off national FM broadcasting in 2017. The US has HD Radio, but doesn't use DAB+. Opposing the US AM radio requirement are the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing automakers, the Zero Emission Transportation Association, and two other groups. They said in a joint 2023 letter: 'Emergency alerts are delivered through several overlapping mediums to provide maximum redundancy, and the FCC is working to continue improving the system to service a broader array of Americans during emergencies. Some make the argument that AM radio is necessary for emergency broadcasts, but in such cases FM radio, Internet streaming services, better rural broadband, and text alerts supplement any loss of AM radio access.' Automakers generally oppose regulation, and EV makers are worried about the interference issue. There's also a cost savings in eliminating AM, though not likely a large one. The mandate, the letter writers said, 'is unnecessary and contrary to the principles of a free-market economy. The requirement would unnecessarily hinder progress in the automotive industry.' Given the political realities, though, it does look like automakers will have to find a way to include AM on their radio dials, including on EVs.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Ford Says Battery Plant's Tax Break Survived Republican Attacks
Environmental groups have generally viewed the big budget and policy bill passed by Congress last week as a catastrophe for electric vehicles and green energy projects. But the final version of the legislation leaves enough wiggle room to save at least one endangered battery factory. Ford Motor said this week that a $3 billion plant it is building in Marshall, Mich., to produce batteries for electric vehicles, will still qualify for federal tax credits thanks to last-minute tweaks to the bill's language. Earlier versions would have excluded the project because it will use technology licensed from a Chinese company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd., known as CATL. There is still plenty in the bill to make proponents of electric vehicles weep. It eliminates tax credits of up to $7,500 for people who buy electric vehicles and it guts clean air regulations that encouraged carmakers to sell vehicles with no tailpipe emissions. The bill also imposes new restrictions that will make it harder for many companies to qualify for production tax credits they had counted on. But the slight concessions in the final version of the legislation, which became clear only after experts had a chance to parse the fine print, suggest that at least some Republican lawmakers were aware that cuts in the bill would strike their constituents the hardest. Democratic legislation in 2022 inspired a boom in construction of battery factories and electric vehicle plants, primarily in Southern states where Republicans dominate. In November, Donald Trump won 56 percent of the vote in Calhoun County, Mich., which includes Marshall. Ford has already begun hiring for the factory and expects to employ 1,700 people there. Ford had said it would build the factory regardless of what happened to the tax credits. But elimination of the credits, which could be worth billions of dollars to Ford, would have made it much harder to operate the factory profitably. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill' could help China win EV race
The "One Big, Beautiful, Bill" was signed into law on July 4, after passing the Senate and House. The reconciliation bill features hundreds of provisions and will affect Americans from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Some of the bill's provisions will completely change the way automotive companies produce electric vehicles and the way American consumers purchase EVs. The Senate altered the original reconciliation bill, accelerating the termination of used and new electric vehicle buying incentives from December 2025 to September 2025. Experts say the elimination of the federal electric vehicle tax credit could be the catalyst to complete Chinese domination in the global EV space. It could cede the entire electric vehicle supply chain to China, according to a column on an authority on international policy. Electric vehicles are much more ubiquitous today than they were a decade ago. What was once thought to be an impractical niche powertrain has taken over the globe. Despite the U.S. lagging behind competitors in EV adoption, nearly 300,000 electric vehicles were sold in the first quarter of 2025 — an 11.4% increase from last year, according to Cox Automotive. American EV sales may be increasing year-over-year, but China sold one million EVs in May, according to electric vehicle research company Rho Motion. China has sold 4.4 million EVs in 2025 through May, eclipsing major competitors in electric vehicle sales. China is selling more EVs than America, but its EV domination doesn't stop at its own country. The People's Republic of China holds 62% of the global EV market, according to Rho Motion. In short, this means car buyers across the globe are choosing Chinese-made electric vehicles over American-made electric vehicles from companies like Tesla. Chinese EVs are popular in countries like Brazil, Spain, Norway, and the United Kingdom. President Donald Trump's stance on electric vehicles has been clear as an advocate for oil drilling and a climate change skeptic. So, imposing provisions that impede the progress of the electrification of American autos is unsurprising. That said, the decision to eliminate the EV tax credit along with electric vehicle production incentives will make American EVs more expensive for consumers and production less appealing for automakers. Anti-electric vehicle provisions in the bill could lead to major job losses for Americans. Companies will lose "billions of dollars in investments" according to EV non-profit Plug-In America. If American automakers are discouraged from producing competitive electric vehicles due to dwindling profits and a lack of incentives, China has a clear path to completely steam roll the U.S. in the global EV arena. Despite the administration's sudden about-face on the electric vehicle industry, there are several excellent electric vehicles for sale in America. Some of these are even American-made or mostly assembled in America. The Tesla Model Y small electric SUV is a major sales leader. Tesla sold a whopping 64,051 Model Y EVs in the first quarter of 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book. There are plenty of competitive American electric vehicles on the market that offer sufficient value for the money like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Tesla Model 3, and more. American electric vehicles have made huge strides in the last few years, but it's clear that the elimination of the federal EV tax credit will have an impact on American EVs for years to come. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' could help China dominate EV market
