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The first Bronco Sports were assigned to the 2021 model year, but deliveries actually started in November 2020. And obviously it was in development for at least a few years before that.

The auto industry did spend a lot of money lobbying against the Act. And the broadcast industry spent a lot of money lobbying for it. For example, in 1Q 2025: The auto industry lost this one. As of right now, the Act has 60 co-sponsors in the Senate (out of 100 Senators) and 317 co-sponsors in...

Nothing will happen immediately, even if the Act becomes law tomorrow (which it won't). It will take a few years before the law is enforceable. Once the Act becomes law, the Dept. of Transportation (DoT) has a year to spell out the exact rules. Then those DoT rules will include an effective...

OK, good point. I don't think SiriusXM works in Alaska either (except maybe the Southeast). The coverage in the Lower 48, southern Canada, and northern Mexico is pretty much everywhere, as long as there is a decent view of the sky. It can drop out in narrow canyons or dense forest.

The argument is that AM radio is the most reliable way to get notifications via the Emergency Alert System. In many rural areas, you can get an AM radio signal, but there is no FM radio, cell service, or Internet. Also, radio is less likely to be affected by power outages than the cell network...

Update: the "AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act" currently remains stalled in Congress, despite bipartisan support: However, the President has the clout to get Congress moving, and he has just recommitted to getting the Act passed: So there is a good chance that Slate will be legally required to...

Another reason for keeping AM: KIRO's traditional analog AM broadcast probably reaches a much wider area than KIRO-FM's digital FM broadcast. Within the Seattle metro area, HD FM would likely sound better than AM -- but if you start driving away from the city, you could eventually lose the HD FM...

You're right -- but AM sports stations (and other AM stations) are now commonly simulcast on HD FM subchannels. For example, KIRO 710 AM in Seattle is also available on the FM band, on the HD2 subchannel of KIRO-FM 97.3. So if you installed a modern HD FM radio in a Slate, you would be able to...

For now, it doesn't seem like Slate has any plans to open up any stores or service centers anywhere. Even if they ultimately decide to do that, I'm guessing that New Mexico might not be their first priority. Neither Rivian nor Lucid are in NM as yet.

In New Mexico, Tesla has been able to work around state law by opening two stores on tribal land. They've done the same thing in Connecticut. The legal situation varies by state. In California, companies without franchised dealers operate without any problems, including Tesla, Rivian, and...

Tesla has been testing a short-term rental program at a couple of stores in Southern California, which actually appears to be an extended test drive program. You can rent a Tesla for up to a week at a low rate, with unlimited mileage and free Supercharging. Then the rental charges are reimbursed...

I see those antennas sometimes on RVs, and on oilfield work trucks. One manufacturer is here. Many newer vehicles have built-in wireless modems that can be used as hotspots, and they may have larger antennas with better reception than your phone. I was camping recently at a lake where my phone...

I agree that it looks great, and my guess is that it really is representative of the final product. My question would be: what is the price of a Slate equipped in this manner? Probably not "mid-20s".

Might consider connecting to Wifi periodically, possibly using a Wifi range extender if necessary, to get software updates.

Ford can and does push over-the-air software updates to the vehicle. In fact, the app allows me to see recent updates, and to schedule update installations for the middle of the night. They may well sell data too; did not carefully read their privacy policies. It is possible to opt out of at...

Any connected car from any manufacturer can -- and probably does -- collect and transmit data on where and how you drive. And yes, that data is collected and transmitted at no cost to the user, because it has value to the manufacturer. But that's a separate issue from the question of whether a...

I have a 2023 ICE Ford, which has a cell modem that is connected via AT&T. I get a lot of value from that cellular connection, yet Ford charges me nothing for it. Maybe Ford has a great deal with AT&T. First, I can connect to the vehicle remotely using the Ford app. The app allows remote...

Any news on timing? Last I heard, they were hoping to start deliveries before the end of 2026.

According to Ford, the current MSRP for a 2026 Maverick XL with zero options is $28,145. OK, that's "high 20s" -- but that number does not include the "Destination Charges" of $1,695 or the "Acquisition Fee" of $695. Add those in, and that new Maverick is actually "low 30s", or $30,535 to be...

Yup, that is true. In fact, this happened to the Act in 2024; it never got voted on, despite bipartisan support. So the Act had to be reintroduced in 2025. And then there was the government shutdown, so everything went on hold. Maybe the Act gets voted on this year, or maybe not. If not, maybe...