AM Radio Replacement

That's part of the problem. The CRTC limits the formats they license to main stream, middle of the road, mostly top 40 formats. Outside of the GTA, even less gets licensed. Up until the 1970s or 1980s, the CRTC mandated what radio stations were allowed to play. Sundays were limited to religious broadcasts, classical music and jazz. Free form FM rock stations were not allowed, except in border stations markets where US stations were stealing young Canadian listeners in droves. We were lucky enough to have some on cable and almost everyone I knew listened to them but the local stations were all top 40.

About that time, I remember when applications for a new station license were being considered. One was for an international music format, which would have been a great alternative for many. The CRTC decided to approve a second country music license instead. One time, the local college station started to play rock music and gained a sizeable market share. Local stations complained to the CRTC who told it to stop or it's license would be revoked. Things started to go downhill again when the big broadcasters started buying up small market stations and turning them into second rate corporate radio outlets. Now I only listen to streaming radio and pay for the privilege. It's better than listening to hours of corporate propaganda and music industry promoted top 40 music every day.

Judging by the mechanics of streetcars, it's obvious why they generate so much RF interference. Then they have the long overhead conductors that carry and transmit the interference for miles. A similar effect can be experienced by driving near any overhead power lines where the interference they emit can overpower weaker AM signals. The ignitions of gasoline powered vehicles generate a lot of RF interference as well. That's mitigated by using resistive ignition leads and shielding.

It should be relatively easy to mitigate or eliminate noise from EVs by using brushless motors (many already do) and solid state controls. I expect there are other reasons for eliminating AM in car radios. Personally, I find that AM is next to useless in urban areas due to noise from powerlines and, nearby commercial and residential sources. The only place AM is free from interference is out of the city where AM's major advantage, long range, makes it an asset.