Ford changed its mind and will restore the AM broadcasting function of its cars.

CTOnews.com, May 24 (Xinhua) Ford CEO Jim Farley (Jim Farley) changed his mind after discussions with US policy makers and decided to restore the AM broadcast function that was removed from some models.

CTOnews.com noted that the US Congress had previously introduced a bill called "every car should have an AM radio", which aims to require all cars to be equipped with AM radio. AM broadcasts are usually used for emergency broadcasts and government-to-citizen communications, but some car companies have phased out this function.

Farley said on Twitter earlier today that after discussing with policy leaders the importance of AM broadcasting as an emergency alarm system, they decided to support this feature on all Ford and Lincoln models produced in 2024. For those owners of Ford electric vehicles without AM broadcasting, they will provide a software update to solve this problem.

Ford initially planned to cancel AM broadcasts, but lawmakers insisted it was a necessity for public safety. A Ford spokesman said the company would still offer "alternatives" to car owners who do not have AM broadcasts so they can listen to their favorite music, news and podcasts. Senator Ed Markey said: "this is a big problem because we cannot allow companies like Tesla and Ford to exploit consumers who have been using AM radios for more than a century, while other automakers still offer this service for free." Tesla previously canceled the AM broadcast and explained in a letter to Markey that the function would interfere with the design of the electric drive system. But Markey is not convinced. "technically, it costs little to solve the interference problem," he said. "

Ford seems to realize the importance of AM broadcasting and its ability to alert the public in the event of a major emergency. For vehicles that currently lack this feature, it only takes a software update to restore it.