No real AM or FM radio in the R2

[NCSwa]

The R2 has no AM or FM radio receiver. It uses internet streaming services iHeart and TuneIn apps to stream radio and also satellite radio. I am minimally peeved about no grab handles above the doors, slightly upset at no CarPlay, holding my breath to see how well the still undelivered Homelink-like garage door remote SW will function, but really pissed about having no real radio.

My summer home in the mountains has terrible cellular connectivity which makes streaming radio worthless. The local community station I support and listen to mostly when there isn’t available on iHeart and TuneIn starts with minutes of commercial after commercial of their own before starting the actual stream, and that stream is far from real time. I can’t tell how many hours behind it is, or even if is the actual programming of my station after the last few tries on their website. I have no use for the poor audio quality of the satellite services, nor have I found very satisfying programming in any of my many favored genres, so have never renewed the free introductory service I had in my last three cars . When I am not in the mountains, I love the local HD FM stations with their high quality audio and excellent programming.

I really love the ride and handling and build quality and overall specs and features of the R2, but first I will have to get over not having a radio before buying.

I honestly think this might be one very good feature, I like to listen to local radio from other stations around the country, all you do is set your Zip Code or search for a City and bam, where you are, as long as you are connected, you can listen to anything in the country anywhere you want..

I also like it because on longer trips you can just continue to listen to your favorite local station all the way...

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[reodds]

One more point (as if we needed more of this!). According to 47 CFR § 73.125, AM and FM radio stations are required to broadcast emergency information as part of the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and FEMA.

IMHO, as long as there is a Federal mandate such as this, auto manufacturers should include an AM/FM receiver in their cars.

I believe that Rivian made an error in this respect, and it should be added back ASAP.

Whether you consider it to be "old technology" or a media source you enjoy daily, it is a trivial addition to the car that can add to the safety of its occupants. If cost is a concern on a $60k car, let them add it as an option. I for one, would gladly pay to have it as part of my "infotainment" package.

P.S. I'm certainly not a prude, but in regards to the latest posting, using foul language to emphasize a point really doesn't belong here. It's offensive, and not necessary. Sorry for the rant!

 

[Mos Eisley]

TuneIn includes FEMA alerts

https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/tunein-adds-femas-real-time-emergency-alerts-to-its-service/

 

[Alan in Tempe]

I honestly think this might be one very good feature, I like to listen to local radio from other stations around the country, all you do is set your Zip Code or search for a City and bam, where you are, as long as you are connected, you can listen to anything in the country anywhere you want..

I agree totally that the streaming radio is a very nice, desirable feature. However, it should be additional to a real radio, not a replacement. High quality Bluetooth and USB music sources should ALSO be included. Most brands are including audio with real HD AM/FM radio, satellite radio, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, and USB as the user's choice for music or other audio. Leaving out all but Bluetooth, an adding streaming radio is not an overall improvement as much as it is a cost savings downgrade.

 

[tivoboy]

I hate to bring this thread back on track but just a data point for people.

Our cabin is about 9 miles the last spot with cell coverage. Normally, any cell based apps in Apple CarPlay (iHeart Radio) cut out pretty quickly after losing cell signal.

In the R2, the radio lasts for about 5 miles past where it would normally cutout. During the 130 mile drive there were plenty of areas where the radio stopped, but it seems to have better range than I have historically had with my cell phone.

YMMV

The in car cellular receiver should have A) a larger antennae and attenuation, and B) possibly a signal amplifier.. both of which should make holding and maintaining a cellular signal better than just a cellphone alone.

I know it sounds silly, but for very weak or no signal (there must be SOME signal for this to work) often putting the cellphone on the top of your head, base to top of head will help acquire a weak signal or get a text message out intermittently. It’s just simple physics increasing the attenuation of the signal with a larger mass/object.

Again, sounds silly but very often works. (Don’t attempt while driving ;-)

 

[Mos Eisley]

I agree totally that the streaming radio is a very nice, desirable feature. However, it should be additional to a real radio, not a replacement. High quality Bluetooth and USB music sources should ALSO be included. Most brands are including audio with real HD AM/FM radio, satellite radio, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth, and USB as the user's choice for music or other audio. Leaving out all but Bluetooth, an adding streaming radio is not an overall improvement as much as it is a cost savings downgrade.

I worked in radio and broadcasting for 25 years and I too would like real radio hardware, but it's a trend which is not going to reverse. Tesla (and many others) dropped AM c. 2020. And Tesla doesn't include FM in the base trims any longer. Standard American FM tuners generally don't work in Europe and many other places. Auto manufacturers are, more and more, putting investment costs into other tech, FSD etc... costs will get cut somewhere.

And, by the way, broadcasters that are hardware-bound to large-scale infrastructure, including terrestrial broadcast towers AND traditional satellites, are sagging more and more under the weight of upkeep and replacement costs in an era where their revenue is severely trending down.

Streaming is, relatively, cheap.

 

[Emma]

TuneIn includes FEMA alerts

https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/tunein-adds-femas-real-time-emergency-alerts-to-its-service/

But how does that help if you have no access to a signal?

 

[Mos Eisley]

But how does that help if you have no access to a signal?

Didn't say it did. For me personally, if I lived or frequented an area of remoteness/bad coverage or prone to weather emergencies, I'd always have something in my emergency kit in the car, like a portable radio, extra battery or a hand-crank option. I wouldn't be depending on my car. As consumers, we have many options to meet our needs in extreme use cases.

 

[SwampNut]

I hate to bring this thread back on track

 

[Millbarge]

I hate to bring this thread back on track but just a data point for people.

Our cabin is about 9 miles the last spot with cell coverage. Normally, any cell based apps in Apple CarPlay (iHeart Radio) cut out pretty quickly after losing cell signal.

In the R2, the radio lasts for about 5 miles past where it would normally cutout. During the 130 mile drive there were plenty of areas where the radio stopped, but it seems to have better range than I have historically had with my cell phone.

YMMV

wait so you are saying a 2.5 ton SUV has a larger and better cellular antenna than a 6.5 oz phone?

 

[Millbarge]

Happy to abide.

The times when I might need FM radio are the times when it is also either

1) pouring down torrential rain that could cause a flash flood on old ore road in the middle of Big Bend National Park, so I would need to be able to reach whatever handcrank radio I have (maybe even in the frunk) in the rain or in the way back, or

2) it would be in conditions in the Sierra Nevadas during a wild fire where yeah, maybe I could get the radio out, but then I'd be inhaling extra particulates from the rapidly spreading wild fire I'd be actively trying to figure out how to drive away from, or

3) it'd be because I'm driving through the plains of Oklahoma or Iowa while literally watching the sky form a megacell of a tornado on the horizon where I -- at 75 mph more than anything need to know whether if I continue driving I'm going to wind up hitting a fucking F5 tornado and wind up pulling a Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ, or whether if I pull over right where I am, that same thing is likely to happen, and which direction anything touching down is traveling or likely to travel.

4) Or maybe I'm just headed to the beach, but I can't even tune into the most localized surf report because the App doesn't carry pirate radio frequencies, and so I miss the tsunami warning.

Bottom line: this removal of the FM tuner and antenna is likely to get someone killed. Maybe multiple people. And it's predictable as shit. If Rivian were marketing this vehicle as a Starbuck's-running mall crawler I wouldn't mind at all.

But they're telling people to go have adventures in it, and it doesn't have oh shit handles and what should be as critical a safety feature (for that particular purpose) as seatbelts or airbags. If you can't get access to NWS or the EBS in a vehicle, it's not suitable for adventures. I thought not only should it have an FM antenna, they should have considered adding a GMRS receiver as an option. That would've been... you know, adventure like.

So there's two sets of people in this world: those who can immediately recognize the removal of the FM transmitter as a safety issue, and those who can't. And if you can't, maybe get out of the debate about it because if you've never been in a situation where it actually matters to have an FM signal because you don't have cell phone reception, what the fuck do you actually know?

you are arguing that you can't get this vehicle because you may get delayed surf reports? I don't surf...how often are there tsunami warnings, and how often do you surf in an area where there are no other humans to ask what they've heard?

But each of these extreme situations are resolved--as you identified--by having a portable FM radio in the vehicle...and you don't even need batteries because you can plug it into the rear hatch.

But...if it's a deal breaker for you, then that is what you must do.

 

[jtm1631]

wait so you are saying a 2.5 ton SUV has a larger and better cellular antenna than a 6.5 oz phone?

no, I’m saying the R2 has a better cell booster than other vehicles I’ve owned.

But you be you.

 

[Emma]

you are arguing that you can't get this vehicle because you may get delayed surf reports? I don't surf...how often are there tsunami warnings, and how often do you surf in an area where there are no other humans to ask what they've heard?

But each of these extreme situations are resolved--as you identified--by having a portable FM radio in the vehicle...and you don't even need batteries because you can plug it into the rear hatch.

But...if it's a deal breaker for you, then that is what you must do.

I travel in areas with flash flood warnings and squall warnings, and there’s also spotty to nonexistent cell service in some of these places. So yes, I know I could carry a radio, but I’m lugging around so much crap already that I really don’t wanna have to add something else. Im not sure I understand the anger toward some of us that would really like a radio. Most of us have already said it’s not a dealbreaker on its own. But if you all can complain about CarPlay – not you personally, but in general — why is there so much hostility to some of us who wish there were a radio.

 

[SwampNut]

no, I’m saying the R2 has a better cell booster than other vehicles I’ve owned.

None of the Rivians have a cell booster. All of them have a standard voice/data cell modem, which feeds a computer, which manages the infotainment and in-car wifi. A cell booster repeats an signal from one place to another, with some amplification, but cannot be a modem/call/data device itself.

 

[Millbarge]

I travel in areas with flash flood warnings and squall warnings, and there’s also spotty to nonexistent cell service in some of these places. So yes, I know I could carry a radio, but I’m lugging around so much crap already that I really don’t wanna have to add something else. Im not sure I understand the anger toward some of us that would really like a radio. Most of us have already said it’s not a dealbreaker on its own. But if you all can complain about CarPlay – not you personally, but in general — why is there so much hostility to some of us who wish there were a radio.

there's no anger at all. I just don't get all these manufactured excuses - "I travel with so much stuff in my car I can't possibly add a transistor radio to make sure I'm safe" or "how could I possibly know if it's safe to go surfing".

the R2 doesn't come with a real FM radio. if it's important for you, and you're unwilling to adopt a work around, then you won't get a Rivian, and that's fine. I'm sure the Hummer EV comes with a real FM radio and great off road capability.

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