Verne, backed by Rimac Group, teams up with Uber and Pony.ai to introduce electric robotaxis in Croatia, marking a new step in autonomous transportation.
Mate Rimac, founder of the Croatian electric vehicle maker Rimac Group, began developing electric robotaxis seven years ago. His vision is now advancing through a partnership involving Verne, Uber, and Pony.ai.
The three companies announced plans on Thursday to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, with initial operations in Zagreb, Croatia. Pony.ai will provide the autonomous driving system and the Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicle, developed in collaboration with Chinese automaker BAIC.
Partnership Structure and Operations
Verne will own and operate the robotaxi fleet, while Uber contributes its ride-hailing network. Uber also plans to invest an undisclosed amount in Verne and support its expansion as a strategic partner.
On-road testing of the service is already underway in Zagreb, where Rimac Group is based, though no specific launch date has been announced. Verne, which started in 2019 as Project 3 Mobility within Rimac Group, received 100 million euros in funding in July 2024.
Verne focuses on urban electric vehicles, a ride-hailing app, and fleet management infrastructure. The company intends to produce its own robotaxi EVs at a new factory in Lučko, Croatia, expected to start operations later this year.
For the initial service, Verne will use the Pony.ai-BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 vehicles. Users can hail these robotaxis through Uber or Verne's app, with plans to scale the fleet to thousands of vehicles over the next few years.
Verne CEO Marko Pejkovic stated that the company aims to bring autonomous mobility to Europe, starting in Zagreb and expanding to other markets. This partnership highlights growing efforts in the robotaxi sector beyond major players like Waymo and Tesla.
