Skip to main content

These ambulances can alert drivers of their approach by interrupting loud music

If, like many drivers, you like to have tunes pumping out of your music system to a level that causes your hair to vibrate, then there may be occasions when you’re not fully aware that an ambulance is coming up the rear, or perhaps approaching from another street.

Of course, this increases the chance of you hindering the progress of the emergency vehicle as it tries to reach some poor fella suffering a cardiac arrest or some other life-threatening condition. At worst, it may mean you don’t notice the ambulance passing through a stop sign, putting it on a collision course with your motor as you enjoy a couple of tracks from one of your lovingly curated playlists.

Recommended Videos

The issue has come to the attention of students in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, prompting them to develop a system that interrupts a car’s music player to alert a driver of an approaching emergency vehicle.

Trials for the system, called EVAM, start soon and if successful the team hope to commercialize it.

Working at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the student’s system involves a radio transmission from the ambulance to nearby FM tuners equipped with Radio Data System (RDS).

The signal is sent over the FM band along with the transmission of a text message that appears in the tuner display. It can also lower the music’s volume and put out an audible voice message via the speakers, warning the driver to take extra care.

“Often drivers have only a few seconds to react and give way to emergency vehicles,” says industrial engineering student Mikael Erneberg, one of EVAM’s designers. “The optimal warning time is at least 10 to 15 seconds.”

Erneberg adds: “We want to catch motorists’ attention at an early stage, and mitigate stress that impairs road safety.”

The warning system also takes into account the speed of traffic in the vicinity, so on a highway, for example, the alert will broadcast earlier than in slower city traffic.

As for downsides, not all cars are equipped with RDS – the team estimates EVAM will work with two-thirds of all vehicles on Swedish roads – and some drivers don’t have their music systems on the whole time while they’re driving. With cars getting smarter all the time, an alternative solution would be to fit external audio sensors, which, when the siren of an emergency vehicle is detected nearby, can automatically activate the music system to alert the driver. Though of course, once vehicles become truly autonomous, such issues should be a thing of the past.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Lucid Gravity shifts electric SUVs into a new orbit
2025 Lucid Gravity front quarter view.

After a very long takeoff roll, the Lucid Air electric luxury sedan arrived in 2020 and reset expectations for EV range, efficiency, and charging. The Air is an excellent first effort, but as a sedan its sales potential is inherently limited. So the 2025 Lucid Gravity — the automaker’s second model and first SUV — may be even more important for Lucid’s future.

Available in two-row, five-seat and three-row, seven-seat configurations, the Gravity aims to attract the much larger cohort of new car buyers who want extra space, or need a vehicle to accommodate their families and Instagram-worthy lifestyles. But those buyers already have plenty of choices, including the Cadillac Escalade IQ, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Rivian R1S, and Volvo EX90, as well as the two-row BMW iX.

Read more
You can now lease a Hyundai EV on Amazon—and snag that $7,500 tax credit
amazon autos hyundai evs lease ioniq 6 n line seoul mobility show 2025 mk08

Amazon has changed how we shop for just about everything—from books to furniture to groceries. Now, it’s transforming the way we lease cars. Through Amazon Autos, you can now lease a brand-new Hyundai entirely online—and even better, you’ll qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit if you choose an electric model like the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, or Kona EV.
Here’s why that matters: As of January 2025, Hyundai’s EVs no longer qualify for the tax credit if you buy them outright, due to strict federal rules about battery sourcing and final assembly. But when you lease, the vehicle is technically owned by the leasing company (Hyundai Capital), which allows it to be classified as a “commercial vehicle” under U.S. tax law—making it eligible for the credit. That savings is typically passed on to you in the form of lower lease payments.
With Amazon’s new setup, you can browse Hyundai’s EV inventory, secure financing, trade in your current vehicle, and schedule a pickup—all without leaving the Amazon ecosystem.
It’s available in 68 markets across the U.S., and pricing is fully transparent—no hidden fees or haggling. While Hyundai is so far the only automaker fully participating, more are expected to join over time.
Pioneered by the likes of Tesla, purchasing or leasing vehicles online has been a growing trend since the Covid pandemic.
A 2024 study by iVendi found that 74% of car buyers expect to use some form of online process for their next purchase. In fact, 75% said online buying met or exceeded expectations, with convenience and access to information cited as top reasons. The 2024 EY Mobility Consumer Index echoed this trend, reporting that 25% of consumers now plan to buy their next vehicle online—up from 18% in 2021. Even among those who still prefer to finalize the purchase at a dealership, 87% use online tools for research beforehand.
Meanwhile, Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study reveals that while 86% of U.S. consumers still want to test-drive a vehicle in person, digital tools are now a critical part of the buying journey.
Bottom line? Amazon is making it easier than ever to lease an EV and claim that tax credit—without the dealership hassle. If you're ready to plug in, it might be time to add to cart.

Read more
Gemini AI coming to cars as Android Automotive update suggests it’s due soon
The 6.8-inch Pioneer digital media receiver installed in a vehicle's dashboard.

Google appears to be getting ready to sends its Gemini AI into cars through an Android Automotive update.

This would make sense as Android Automotive already uses Google's Assistant to help with those much-needed in-car hands-free requests.

Read more