Are the days numbered for FM Radio? Tesla seems to think so as it appears they will soon begin delivering Model 3’s without a radio tuner.
This new development was discovered by Tesla hacker @greentheonly while digging into the source code of the new 2020.44.10.1 software update.
Interesting development on model3/y front. firmware 2020.44.10.1 adds a new software locked battery type "336 miles" (current are 220 and 93) which implies that full battery would actually be bigger?
Another notable change is preparation for model3 with no radio tuner at all.
— green (@greentheonly) November 6, 2020
While a move away from radio is surprising, the automaker has been hinting that radio is not high on its priority list given the streaming options available in a Tesla.
For owners of Model S and Model X vehicles equipped with the older Media Control Unit 1 (MCU1), upgrading to the new MCU2 meant the loss of radio service. Tesla will soon be offering an option to include FM and Sirius XM radio with upgrade, but it will cost $500 USD, on top of the already expensive price for the new computer.
Another hint at this change is the recent 2020.44 software update. Owners now have the option to hide selected media sources from the menu. Don’t use radio? Now you can simply turn it off and not have it display on your screen.
So what will be your options if there is no tuner, and you want to listen to radio? You can sign up for Tesla’s Premium Connectivity and use the TuneIn app to stream radio stations or stream radio from your phone.
If Tesla does follow through with abandoning the radio tuner, there will definitely some die-hard radio fans upset about the loss. Then there will be other who never use radio, and probably won’t even notice it is missing.
Which camp do you fit in? Let us know in the comments below.
Click here to read more about the software locked battery green also mentions in his tweet.
