Seniors are a Key Market for Autonomous Vehicles
Seniors are a Key Market for Autonomous Vehicles is an opinion letter written by Brulte & Company Co-Founder Grayson Brulte that was published in the Wednesday, July 13, 2016 edition of The Financial Times.
Sir, John Gapper’s overall analysis of the autonomous vehicle market is both accurate and refreshing (“Beware the car that can nearly drive itself”, July 7). He is correct to say that “almost no one knows exactly what an autonomous car is”, and this is an issue that has to be addressed, as there are fears.
In order to overcome these fears, autonomous vehicle manufacturers and service providers should host autonomous vehicle demo days in cities around the world with high senior members of the population in order to introduce the technology slowly and answer their questions.
Seniors may very well lead the adoption of autonomous vehicles, as they will regain their freedom through mobility. In the US, as of 2014 senior citizens counted for one in every seven Americans. This is 14.2 per cent of the population and a very powerful and loyal voting block. In the future, political campaigns will be won by focusing on the adoption of fully autonomous vehicles in society.
The future is bright for autonomous vehicles, but first we need to overcome the fear of the unknown. By introducing semi-autonomous vehicles to the public, Tesla is starting the process.
Grayson Brulte
Beverly Hills, CA, US
Co-Chair, Mayor of City of Beverly Hills Autonomous Vehicle Task Force