How one Florida retirement home became ground zero for self-driving cars

The 126k retirees living in Florida’s largest and most convenient retirement community, The Villages, are living the dream.

It’s easy to see why: The mega-development features 648 holes of golf, 100 pickleball courts, more than 100 restaurants, and 2700 social clubs (including 130 exclusively for singles) — all just a golf cart ride away on The Villages’ 750+ miles of pristine roads.

But, a new attraction is rolling out this month: self-driving cars.

Voyage, a self-driving car startup led by some of the most accomplished leaders in the autonomous vehicle industry, has been mapping The Villages’ 32 square miles since January. Soon, it will launch its Pioneer Program, which will pick-up and drop-off residents within select neighborhoods in its autonomous Chrysler Pacificas.

For Voyage, The Villages is the perfect testing ground: Great weather year round, wide roads with slow-moving pedestrians, and a population larger than West Palm Beach.
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