AM/FM Radio is a safety issue

[fuzzyweis]

This isn't an issue as with the Slate, you can add whatever radio you want. There are EVs on the market today that don't offer AM and you can't easily update the stereo as it has climate or headlight control integrated into the infotainment.

With the Slate you can add whatever radio you want, or leave it with no radio, that's the strength of it. The HVAC is controlled by 3 regular manual knobs, all the other vehicle specific settings are either in the dash cluster or maybe with the app but there's not that much to set.

So put in an AM/FM/XM/CB/Shortwave radio, or don't! Put in a CD player, put in a cassette deck! Put in an 8 track! The power is yours!

-Jim

 

[RagedCarrott]

My Rivian didn’t come with AM. In fact, other manufacturers have left it out as well. Better off being prepared with separate radio for emergencies.

 

[E90400K]

Boomer checking in here. Many models of lower-priced cars did not come standard with radios until the mid 1980's. No one died.

Been there.

 

[cadblu]

In a true SHTF emergency, you're not going to be tethered to your vehicle anyway. You'd be better served with a handheld radio scanner and/or world band receiver. Nobody is routinely tuning into AM radio for weather and traffic reports short of luddites who don't believe in cell phones. If you're otherwise far enough off the beaten path to not have a cell signal, you're very unlikely to be served by the target audience of a broadcast anyway. Emergency broadcasts are scoped to inform as many people as possible.

Yes, or better yet consider getting a ham radio technician license. It's good for 10 years and you can broadcast on UHF 70 cm and VHF 2 meters and 1.25 meters. Just keep a few HT's and mobile units handy and you'll be ready for anything. 73

 

[John Santa Fe]

Hello I’m new on the forum and this is my first post. A Slate could be in my future if it is ever equipped with a sturdy trailer hitch and an AM/FM radio.

It doesn’t seem like Slate is planning to install AM/FM radios as standard equipment even though they are standard SAFETY equipment. It’s imperative to be able to receive weather, road condition, and emergency information from the local channels you see on road signs—not something easily available from a cell phone, if at all.

Also such radio needs to function within the vehicle’s electrical fields—not necessarily something available off the shelf somewhere, and assurance of reliability really needs to come from the automaker.

The cost would be very negligible if integrated universally and it would likely save lives every year.

Why is this not happening? I would think it would be common sense.

Because not everyone wants one and the point of the truck is that it's a bare bones blank slate you customize and not keep adding things that make it a $40k truck
I am guessing there will be an accessory or someone will come up with something you can add a radio..

Hi,
There are radio apps for your SmartPhone which can be used for both local, national, and International stations. Really easy to use. I have SmipleRadio. Cost $20/year.

 

[The Weatherman]

Looks like the Slate is not the vehicle for the OP. Might want to checkout the Nissan Versa. It’s not a truck but has a radio is cheap. Good luck to you.

 

[Paul]

Hi,
There are radio apps for your SmartPhone which can be used for both local, national, and International stations. Really easy to use. I have SmipleRadio. Cost $20/year.

I kind of get why people want a dedicated radio. It's just annoying to start an app that cost $20 and use your data .... to listen to radio. If you're in and out of the car all day for work and what not you kind of just want something that is seamless in the background punch between three stations or something. That comes on when you turn the car on and shuts off when you leave.

 

[bloo]

Yes, or better yet consider getting a ham radio technician license. It's good for 10 years and you can broadcast on UHF 70 cm and VHF 2 meters and 1.25 meters. Just keep a few HT's and mobile units handy and you'll be ready for anything. 73

0.7 to 2 meter range is abysmal. I thought HAM radios could do better than that.

 

[AZFox]

So it's settled:
No Radio is a killer feature.

 

[Paul]

So it's settled:
No Radio is a killer feature.

The whole purpose of it is that it is a really well priced blank slate that Is customized later and people come up with ideas down the road. There are plenty of vehicle options out there that are $40,000 and up that have radios along with complicated head units that don't exactly do what you want it to do. It doesn't really make sense that people are approaching this like the new shiny truck that doesn't have the options they want. It's a different concept.

 

[SparkYellow]

As a weekend car camper, I have two portable AM/FM/Weather radios. One is chargeable by micro-usb or two D batteries; the other by usb-c, solar, and hand-crank. Both also offer USB-A ports to charge other devices. The one that you can crank is obviously better than something that is integrated into the vehicle with no other source of power. Last year a simple fuse in my daily driver failed and triggered problems in several seemingly unrelated items. I was lucky to figure it out.

You can crank on cloudy days when solar is miserable. If I am down to cranking the radio for information, that is a world where violence is probably expected at the charging station. 🤦

 

[AZFox]

The whole purpose of it is that it is a really well priced blank slate that Is customized later and people come up with ideas down the road.

Fully understand and agree.
No radio is definitely a feature, not a bug.

That was an attempt at humor....

Someone who thinks radios save lives:
"No Radio is a killer feature! Oh my!"

Someone who likes that idea of installing exactly the infotainment they want:
"No Radio is a killer feature! Cool!"

 

[AeroWolf]

At this point, I think this topic has been beaten to a dead radio.

For fleet operators, the owners could care less.
For some, a blue tooth speaker is all you need.
For folks who need the airwaves , a universal antenna with a basic head unit works.
For audiophiles, their going custom anyway and probably prefer not working around another's setup.

Either way you pick the option that suits your lifestyle.

 

[SparkYellow]

Many years ago when I drove to the snowy areas of NorCal, there'd be signs along the way reminding us drivers to tune into a specific radio channel. In more recent years, I rely on official info online (i.e., CalTrans QuickMap). The info online has a much wider reach (I can check from home hundreds of miles away), whereas I have to be close to receive the broadcast. Is the broadcast info more fresh and accurate as the official release online (local v. state)? In that case we still need both.