Rimac Announces Launch of Verne Robottaxi Service
TapTechNews June 26th news, the electric supercar brand Rimac today announced the launch of a Robottaxi driverless taxi service named Verne, which will start operating in 2026 in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
According to the introduction, Rimac has been committed to the research of autonomous driving technology since 2017. As part of Croatia's revival plan, the company received 200 million euros (TapTechNews note: currently about 156 million yuan) from the EU in 2021 to develop Robottaxi.
Verne was previously known as Project3Mobility, and the new name is in tribute to the French writer Jules Verne. Rimac Group holds 55% of the shares of the new company, and the remaining shares are held by Saudi investors.
After Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, the company will also start operating in Manchester, UK, and has signed agreements with nine cities in Europe and the Middle East.
The company claims that Verne can achieve L4 autonomous driving, and the vehicle will no longer be equipped with steering wheel, pedals, wipers, rearview mirrors and other configurations, but will be equipped with a 43-inch display and a 17-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system.
Rimac founder Mate Rimac promised in a statement that Verne's ride service will be affordable for all.
Verne's Robottaxi service supports being summoned through a mobile phone App, and settings such as temperature, lighting, and odor can be customized before the vehicle arrives.
The company will establish Motherships in the cities where it conducts business to provide cleaning, charging and maintenance for self-driving taxis, and the vehicles themselves will be produced in a factory located in Croatia.
