Self-Driving Shuttle at Babcock Ranch planned community                                                   Source: Florida Weekly

On October 13, 2018, Florida Tesla Enthusiasts were treated to a tour of Babcock Ranch, the city of the future.  The event was well-attended with over 40 members with their guests registering to attend. Following the tour we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Table & Tap, with farm-to-table dining.

About Babcock Ranch
Babcock Ranch is a new master-planned community under development on the Lee and Charlotte County line in Southwest Florida, about 15 miles northeast of Fort Myers. With 18,000 acres of land, Babcock Ranch is an area larger than Manhattan that will accommodate 19,000 homes and 50,000 residents when completed.

With more than 340,000 solar panels in place, Babcock Ranch aims to be the first town in the U.S. powered solely by solar energy. In partnership with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), Babcock Ranch donated 440 acres of land for a 74.5 mw solar facility. FPL created the largest solar-plus-storage system operating in the U.S. today. Each of the ten battery storage units at the FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center can store 1 megawatt of power and discharge for 4 hours. The new battery storage system ensures a steady output of power even on partly cloudy days.

Residents will live in energy-efficient homes and use self-driving electric shuttles to get around. Alternative internal transportation systems employ advanced and developing technologies to provide environmentally-friendly ways to get around town. In addition to electric-powered, self-driving shuttles running along set routes, Babcock Ranch is an early implementation site for on-demand self-driving cars that you can schedule with an app on your smart phone.

Here's some photos:

Babcock Ranch provides EV destination charging.

A Solar Tree

We head out to the Solar Array with almost a full bus.

Florida Power & Light built this observation deck from which to view the extent of the huge solar array.

Part of the huge solar array.

On the left are the 10 battery storage units undergoing testing.

What a greating looking group!

My wife poses with Jason Caissie, the leader of the Southwest Florida EV Owners Club.  Notice his electric scooter.  Jason and his wife are waiting to move into his new home  being built in Babcock Ranch.

One of the autonomous shuttles drives a prescribed route.

Onboard the autonomous shuttle.

Dining at Table & Tap.

Dining at Table & Tap.

Dining at Table & Tap.

Dining at Table & Tap.

Slater’s Goods & Provisions is a market and café at Babcock Ranch that offers a farm-fresh menu.

Here's a collection of random photos of our happy members.