No real AM or FM radio in the R2

[2kwik4u]

We have a day one reservation for an R2, but I'm going to order one as long as there's no real FM radio. Its simply not a safe vehicle for my family with that omission.

Honest question......what safety does FM radio provide?

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[morph860]

This is annoying. Especially since I'm really not in the market to have yet another company (iHeartRadio in this case) start tracking everything I listen to. At the end of the day, all these digital services are about gathering more data from people.

We're talking about a vehicle that is full of cameras, microphones, and AI.

You can add iHeartRadio as a streaming service with a Connect+ subscription. This will let you use the iHeart app to access whatever they offer in their app. They have a free version and several paid versions of their app.

The regular FM channels don't need Connect+ or the iHeart app. You just get to them by clicking the FM button. The connection is via iHeart's platform but don't require an iHeart login unless I missed something. You just click FM and a list of local channels pop up.

 

[narmstrong79]

I'm of a similar mind as you regarding Connect+. I don't intend to subscribe to it as I don't see the value. Now, if they added regular CarPlay (maybe even EV routing) as an option bundled with a Connect+ subscription, I would subscribe.

Give me YouTube Music Native, Text read/reply with all text platform ( SMS,MMS, RCS, and OTT) and I'll sign up. I couldn't care less about "Hey, Rivian" its cool but a gimmick

 

[Yamazaki]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person bothered by this. I'm not concerned about the "emergency" cases... a portable radio can solve that, but I use the radio every single day for local stations, and I routinely go to places that have no cell service, but still am able to tune in the stations I like.
And I'm not one of the "CarPlay Crowd" because my car doesn't have CarPlay, so I haven't been spoiled by it. But FM...? I didn't think that was a "luxury".
We also don't want to add any subscription items. We only subscribe to Netflix and I've been looking for ways to cut that even. So that means no Apple Music, Sirius XM, Starlink, etc...
I'm still probably going to get the R2, but it's just a serious bummer. We are actually going to test drive the Trailseeker because of this, but that has to do way more than just have an FM radio... and I'm seriously doubting the Trailseeker is a better buy despite having a radio and being considerably more affordable.

 

[mkg3]

Not having AM/FM, I suppose, is a big deal. We all grew up with these services OTA.

As I was reading this thread, wondered if its an issue of what we are used to and now having to change how we get the same information.

1) In all of my vehicles, I haven't used radio at all. In fact, I don't even know how to access radio in 3 of 4 vehicles I own - I haven't bother to find it.

2) Traffic reports are much more accurate and current on the Apple map (best) and in-vehicle nav (almost ss good on Tesla and no so much on Rivian/google map - was better on the original Rivian map)

3) All emergency broadcast comes through my phone now

4) I use subscribed audio service (Apple Music) to avoid commercial and listen to my own genre of music, and TuneIn free for some news.

So I asked myself, self, do I really need radio and for me - no.

I do understand that some smaller local station may not e streaming and I used to have battery powered radio in case of power outage to get the news so why some people may find this unacceptable. I no longe can find what I did with my battery powered radio and if I felt the need for that "emergency". during the power outage, I probably get the mobile Starlink roam setup that I can also use with Rivian in remote places.

 

[RayoRiv]

I don’t think they are going to add one. I find the omission VERY odd, but considering how rare it is to “need” a radio (meaning an actual signal), wouldn’t just buying a $10 radio and stashing it somewhere suffice? I actually listen to the radio with some frequency and I still wouldn’t let this (dumb) omission sway my choice.

Um, no, that solution is way too easy...

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

FYI, R1 works this way too.

I had lost cell connection in the truck last week (towers down near the house), and FM "radio" quit working at the same time. Towers came back, radio came back. Wifes car continued to work just fine.

Are you sure? I am 99% sure that’s not true. I’ve been in no service areas many times and switched to the radio because my Apple Music crapped out.

 

[2kwik4u]

Are you sure? I am 99% sure that’s not true. I’ve been in no service areas many times and switched to the radio because my Apple Music crapped out.

Not 100% sure, but I'm not a big believer in coincidences either. Seems really odd that my radio quick working at the same time the rest of the truck lost cell connection, then came back when cell service was restored.

 

[chrismc]

Rivian board room circa 2024....

"Hey, we can save X amount of $ by not putting a traditional radio receiver in the R2. We should consider that"

"Yeah, but what about the edge cases where people live in the mountains or just really love their local stations?"

"Oh come on, the R2 is the most advanced software designed and defined EV to have ever been built. People that listen to FM/AM are not our customer base and those people can use IHeart, Starlink mobile, bring a radio if they want it that bad. So maybe we lose a couple of buyers out of hundreds of thousands. It's not a big deal."

Rivianforums.com 2026....

"Hold my beer...."

You forgot the part where Rivian gets a financial kickback from iHeartMedia for selling out R2 owners' privacy.

 

[NY_Rob]

I also don’t truly believe it but I asked Rivian and this is the stat they provided, especially since the general population is closer to 50%

They also removed the 12V outlet in the Frunk on the R1's because their "internal data" indicated "hardly anyone used it". Ummmm, sure

 

[NY_Rob]

Many EVs lack AM because the motor interferes with the signal

EV Drive motors with brushes interfere with AM radio just like lightning does. But, they do not interfere with FM radio reception, again, just like lightning has almost zero impact on FM unless it's very close.

Interestingly, our i3 uses a common AM/FM radio receiver from other BMW vehicles, they just disable the AM band for the i3. If you have BimmerCode, you can re-enable the AM band.. and I did do that as a trial on our i3. The results were, if the vehicle was not moving AM reception was fine, but once the drive motor starts turning, it almost completely washes out the AM band, and as I mentioned above, the FM band works great even with the drive motor spinning.

 

[iamnid]

Between people refusing to buy due to lack of radio inclusion and those who won't buy without physical door levers in the back seat, my number should be coming up sooner than later.

 

[KRIV_ian]

Not 100% sure, but I'm not a big believer in coincidences either. Seems really odd that my radio quick working at the same time the rest of the truck lost cell connection, then came back when cell service was restored.

Not true, I've listened to the radio in many places where I had no cell reception.

 

[Alan in Tempe]

The Rivian sales person says that the R1S and R1T both have FM, but not AM radios. He was surprised to learn it was missing from the R2. Apparently, Rivian just sent out a notice to all their sales people to be up front about not having an FM radio (or AM or some other things he did not mention to me), but being sure to mention that should be expected in a tech-forward vehicle. Personally, I see it as a tech regression. Since my reservation was late '25, I expect to have an order window no sooner than 4 more months, with near zero chance of getting an LE. It would be worth it totally if Rivian used that time to get an FM radio in those later vehicles. If I had to choose between the lidar upgrade and an FM radio, both of which I would like, the FM would be a higher priority for me.

 

[Alan in Tempe]

Not true, I've listened to the radio in many places where I had no cell reception.

The R1S&T have real FM radios. The R2 does not.

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