Mate Rimac, the visionary behind Croatia’s Rimac Group, has been developing electric robotaxis for the past seven years. His ambition is now taking shape through a collaboration involving Rimac’s robotaxi venture, Verne, along with Uber and the Chinese autonomous vehicle firm Pony.ai. This strategic alliance aims to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, commencing in Zagreb, Croatia.
On Thursday, the companies unveiled their plans, with Pony.ai set to provide the autonomous driving technology and the Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxi, co-developed with Chinese auto manufacturer BAIC. The fleet will be owned and operated by Verne, while Uber will leverage its extensive ride-hailing network to facilitate operations. The partnership is also expected to see Uber invest undisclosed funds into Verne, aiding in the startup’s future growth.
While a specific launch date hasn’t been disclosed, testing is already taking place on the streets of Zagreb, the base for Rimac Group. Unlike more widely recognised brands like Waymo or Tesla, Verne is operating with high ambitions, having started as Project 3 Mobility within Rimac Group in 2019. Following a successful funding round of 100 million euros in 2024, greater clarity emerged regarding its objectives.
Rimac’s overarching goal for Verne is to establish a robotaxi service utilising specialised, two-seater electric vehicles. This may seem unusual given his creation of the high-end Nevera electric hypercar priced around $2.2 million. Yet, Rimac has expressed a conviction that the future lies in autonomous vehicle technology, which could render traditional human-driven cars outdated. He remains confident in the inevitability of this transition.
Instead of developing a self-driving system, Verne focuses on producing urban electric vehicles, managing ride-hailing operations, and overseeing fleet maintenance, including cleaning. Plans are underway to build a new production facility in Lučko, Croatia, with the factory expected to commence operations later this year.
Currently, the Verne service will utilise the Pony.ai-BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicles. Users will have the option to book a ride through either Uber or Verne’s dedicated app. While the initial launch will be modest, Verne has ambitious plans to grow its fleet to “thousands of robotaxis over the coming years” and expand beyond Zagreb.
Marko Pejkovic, CEO of Verne, emphasised the need for autonomous mobility solutions that transition from experimental phases to real-world applications, stating, “At Verne, we are combining the technology, infrastructure, and operational capacity necessary to realise this vision, beginning in Zagreb with plans to broaden our reach into new markets.”
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