Mate Rimac, the originator of the Croatian electric vehicle firm Rimac Group, began developing electric robotaxis seven years prior. Now, a segment of his vision is materializing through a strategic alliance involving Uber, the Chinese autonomous vehicle enterprise Pony.ai, and his own self-driving taxi venture, Verne.
On Thursday, the three companies unveiled their intentions to initiate a commercial robotaxi operation across Europe, commencing in Zagreb, Croatia. Pony.ai will supply the self-driving apparatus and a robotaxi named the Arcfox Alpha T5, which was co-developed with Chinese automaker BAIC. Verne will possess and manage the collection of vehicles, while Uber will furnish its extensive ride-summoning system.
The prominent ride-hailing entity also conveyed its intent to invest an unspecified sum into Verne, offering support for future expansion as a key partner.
The firms did not specify a precise commencement date for the commercial service, although on-road trials in Zagreb — where Rimac Group is headquartered — are already in progress.
Verne does not possess the same level of recognition as Waymo or Tesla — at least not within the United States. Nevertheless, it harbors equally grand aspirations.
Verne originated in 2019 as an initiative dubbed Project 3 Mobility (or P3) within Rimac Group, an expanding consortium of companies encompassing hypercar creator Rimac Bugatti, Rimac Energy, and Rimac Technology. Mate Rimac maintains a 23% ownership in the group.
There were intermittent updates regarding the endeavor, but it wasn’t until July 2024 — when Verne launched with 100 million euros in capital — that the public received a more comprehensive insight into its strategies.
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Rimac’s vision has consistently been for Verne to operate an urban robotaxi service utilizing specially designed two-seater electric vehicles. This might appear to be an unusual objective for the individual behind the Nevera, an electric hypercar with a starting price of approximately $2.2 million. Yet, as he elucidated to this journalist a couple of years ago, Rimac was never interested in manufacturing a high-volume EV intended for human drivers — precisely because he believes that autonomous vehicle technology will render that business model obsolete.
“It will require some time, but it is approaching; I am certain of that,” he had informed me at the time.
Verne is not engaged in developing its proprietary self-driving system. Instead, the enterprise is concentrating on the urban electric vehicle, the ride-summoning application, and the back-end infrastructure necessary for managing the fleet, which includes cleaning and upkeep.
Verne intends to manufacture its robotaxi EVs at a novel facility in Lučko, Croatia, which is anticipated to commence operations later this year.
Verne has not yet introduced the two-seaters, nor did it furnish an update regarding these vehicles in its announcement with Uber and Pony.ai. The company stated in November that it had fabricated and tested 60 validation prototypes.
For the present, the Verne robotaxi service will employ the Pony.ai-BAIC vehicle, the Arcfox Alpha T5. Users will have the ability to hail one via Uber as well as through Verne’s exclusive application.
Verne is commencing modestly with its commercial introduction, but it has plans to expand to a “collection of thousands of robotaxis over the forthcoming years,” according to Thursday’s declaration. And its aspirations extend well beyond the boundaries of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia and the domicile of Rimac Group.
“Europe requires autonomous mobility capable of transitioning from experimentation to a tangible service,” commented Verne CEO Marko Pejkovic, in a statement. “At Verne, we are assembling the technology, platform, and operational capabilities essential to transform this into a reality, initiating in Zagreb before proliferating to new territories.”
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