In recent weeks, two large groups representing American spirits producers have taken concrete steps to promote self-driving cars on US roads. It is evidence of a trend that has been going on for a few years now and has already been observed by experts: the alcohol industry wants self-driving cars to go to market as soon as possible, because they think their business would profit a lot. advantage.
The first group to move was the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America organization, which represents some 400 large spirits distributors, which joined the Coalition for Future Mobility, an organization that lobbies on American politics to speed up the diffusion of self-driving cars. The second was the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, a non-profit funded by large companies such as Bacardi, Pernod Ricard, Constellation and Diageo that works to combat drunk driving and the consumption of alcohol among minors. The group has publicly supported a bill with the same objective.
Alcohol producers and distributors believe – well founded – that the spread of self-driving cars will lead to an increase in alcohol consumption, because people will no longer have to worry about drinking little or not drinking when they go out in the car. Self-driving cars do not theoretically require a sober driver, unlike semi-autonomous cars already on the market such as the Tesla. It has already happened in the United States that Tesla drivers set on autopilot were fined, because human intervention is still required while driving in certain cases. The spread of fully automatic cars could therefore have two interlinked effects: the increase in alcohol sales and the decrease in drunk driving accidents, two things that would be very good for the industry.
An analysis by Morgan Stanley estimated that the increase in sales in the alcohol sector, worldwide, could reach $ 250 billion when self-driving cars reach full circulation. However, the estimate is very optimistic: it expects current consumers to drink one or two more drinks per week.
Drunk driving accidents, although decreasing, are still a major problem. They kill 28 people every day in the United States, while in Italy they accounted for 8.1% of accidents that resulted in deaths or injuries in 2016. This, in addition to road safety and people's safety, is also a problem for the alcohol industry, which is trying to prevent local administrations from imposing bans on the sale of alcohol after a certain hour or raising taxes. on alcoholic beverages.
For this reason, it is hoped that self-driving cars will be good for the market such as the spread of services such as Uber and Lyft, that is, those halfway between taxis and car rentals with driver, which in large American and European cities have allowed people to go out at night without worrying about driving home. A reduction in fines and arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol was also noted in cities where public services are extended into the evening. However, these are services that only help people who live in large cities: self-driving cars are needed to reach those who live in smaller towns or in the countryside. It's a way, Rabobank alcohol market analyst Jim Watson told The Washington Post, to get people to go back to drinking at clubs instead of at home.
But the alcohol industry – like most other industries – is also interested in another application of technology that allows vehicles to move without the need for a driver. In fact, shipments aboard self-driving trucks are a frontier that has long represented one of the main interests and objectives of large-scale distribution. The first shipment in the world of this type was made in 2016 by Anheuser-Busch, the multinational that owns the Budweiser beer brand. The group has already pre-ordered 40 Tesla semi-autonomous trucks, and it is believed that the fully autonomous technology will affect commercial-grade trucks and vehicles before private-use cars. This will cause a lot of people to lose jobs – at least 80 percent of the current 3.5 million US truck drivers, according to an Obama administration estimate.
