The Croatian capital of Zagreb will be the first European city to host a fleet of fully autonomous robotaxis, which Rimac Group will make. That Croatian technology powerhouse manufactures electric hypercars like the Nevera and owns the Bugatti brand. It also provides technology to global automakers like Porsche or BMW.
The Verne robotaxi is built on an entirely new platform designed around safety and comfort. Verne, named after the famous French science-fiction writer Jules Verne, was founded by Mate Rimac and two of his closest colleagues and friends from Rimac Group – Marko Pejković, now CEO of Verne, and Adriano Mudri, the designer of Nevera and Chief Design Officer at Verne.
No need for more than two seats
The Verne vehicle will only have two seats and is engineered solely for autonomous driving using Israeli tech, the Mobileye Drive autonomous platform. “Why a 2-seater? Because the data shows that 9 out of 10 rides are used by 1 or 2 people,” says Chief Design Officer Adriano Mudri.
“Therefore, we can satisfy most trips with a two-seater and create unmatched interior space in a compact-sized vehicle. We completely redefined interior space. More space than a Rolls-Royce. We optimized the door opening so people can step in and sit down straight away.”
No steering wheel or pedals
The car has sliding doors to avoid hindering traffic when the two passengers get in. “There is no typical dashboard, steering wheel, or pedals. But an ultra-wide 43-inch display that you can use. This is for entertainment but also to get information about the journey during the ride,” Mudri adds.
Between the extra-large seats is a Touchpad for interaction with the in-vehicle system, where you can adjust the vehicle’s settings. Maybe the most critical control feature is the ‘Median,’ a knob to start or stop the ride and give you, as a passenger, at least the feeling you can control the vehicle yourself.
Listening to music or watching movies
You’ll only need the ride-hailing app to check its real-time location, see how long it will take to pick you up and rest assured that it won’t be canceled. Each ride can be personalized, from setting the temperature to the scent you like in the interior.
The Verne taxi should be the perfect place to listen to your music or watch movies in a preconditioned luxury environment regardless of whether it’s hot or cold outside. It offers unmatched comfort, an ultrawide screen, and 17 speakers for superb audio quality.
It still looks like a super-sleek compact car, even with a trunk to allow lots of baggage to be carried to and from the airport, for instance. However, there was no need for typical human-driven vehicle features like rear-view mirrors as cameras and LiDARs are intensively used. There even aren’t windshield wipers for the panoramic windshield stretching all down to the nose of the car.
Mothership
Rimac is planning a brand-new factory in the southern part of Zagreb to produce the Verne autonomous electric vehicles, which will be deployed worldwide. It will rely on a Belgian partner, VGP Group, a high-quality logistics and semi-industrial real estate developer, to build it. Zagreb will also be the first city to host the ‘Mothership’, which VGP will also help to develop.
“Mothership is a home where our Verne vehicles are taken care of. Here is where the Verne vehicles get inspected daily, maintained daily, cleaned daily, and charged, so they are always safe, clean, and ready to take you on a new adventure. The first Mothership will be built in Zagreb, next to our HQ”, said Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne.
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