On the Move: First Autonomous Shuttles in Central Florida

Lake Nona officially unveiled historic plans for a first-of-its-kind transportation solution for Central Florida — autonomous vehicles.  The first autonomous vehicle shuttles in Central Florida are expected to start cruising Lake Nona this spring.

BEEP, a Lake Nona based company that provides autonomous mobility solutions, will operate the autonomous mobility platform including route planning and on-board interactive services. Beep will operate autonomous AUTONOM shuttles manufactured by NAVYA.

The introduction of NAVYA’s AUTONOM Shuttle in Lake Nona will be the first step toward integrating new mobility technology throughout the region. Autonomous shuttle service in Lake Nona will begin this spring and will feature two shuttles, each with a dedicated operator on board.

“I can tell you from having been around the world in many places starting to grow up and to build smart cities, this is one of the most amazing place and location I have ever seen compared to Europe, Asia, Middle East. Really it has something special,” said Jérôme Rigaud, COO of NAVYA Group. “And it’s an ideal location to make this smart mobility solution become true and become a real move forward to build for tomorrow a better place to live, better place to play.”

The AUTONOM Shuttle can hold up to 15 people and will travel on fixed routes within the Lake Nona community at speeds of up to 16 mph. The shuttle is designed to improve productivity and ease road congestion in urban centers while also optimizing navigation and passenger safety. All of BEEP’s autonomous vehicles deployed in the U.S. will be monitored by the company’s state-of-the-art operations center headquartered in Lake Nona. Specifics regarding the inaugural routes and launch date for Lake Nona’s autonomous shuttle will be announced soon.

“Lake Nona continues to be a model of what a smart and connected community can accomplish,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. “Bringing the first all-electric autonomous shuttles to Central Florida is a defining moment for the future of transportation in our region and will help position Orange County as a place to demonstrate new, innovative technology.”

Lake Nona’s multimodal transportation strategy — Move Nona — creates a seamless, efficient mobility network throughout the 17-square-mile community providing a variety of ways to get around. Designed to support a variety of mobility options, Lake Nona already includes 44 miles of trails, EV charging stations, a bicycle share program, community shuttles and a Pixon car-share program featuring Tesla Model 3s is on deck upon opening.