March the 30th, 2025 – Rimac’s Verne robotaxis have begun their test drives along Zagreb roads. The Croatian startup Verne is altering the way we imagine totally autonomous vehicles.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian startup Verne has been engaged in developing an innovative ecosystem for urban autonomous mobility. It is now intensifying its activities in key areas of this impressive and futuristic project. The process of approving verification prototypes is now underway, the construction of their factory in Lučko near Zagreb is progressing rapidly, and testing activities of the service and autonomous driving system in Zagreb are being intensified.
As stated, the approval of verification prototypes of vehicles is underway, which is one of the steps announced within Croatia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Each prototype tests out specific parts, technologies and systems of the vehicle – including the performance of the powertrain, braking system, aerodynamics, sensors, in-vehicle multimedia system and other key vehicle components. Verification prototypes are approved by an independent body based on the submitted technical and design specifications, which Verne has already carried out. These specifications are aligned with the project objectives and the conditions of the approved state support.
“We’ve started the process of approving prototypes. Given that this is a complex R&D product, some of the vehicles are still under construction and prototypes are gradually being sent in batches for verification. The first batch of vehicles is currently in the approval process. It is important to emphasise that all sixty prototypes will be verified by the time Croatia sends the request for payment to the European Commission. The prototypes are not intended for end users, they’re exclusively for the technical evaluation and demonstration of certain components in the presence of safety drivers,” explained Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne.
the increased testing of autonomous driving and user experience with verne robotaxis in zagreb
In close cooperation with its technology partner Mobiley, Verne has been conducting testing and demonstrating autonomous driving systems in Zagreb since June last year. Test autonomous vehicles with safety drivers have already passed through busy city areas, including the very centre of Zagreb, Novi Zagreb, Zagreb Airport and some other city locations, covering a total area of about 90 square kilometres. In addition, the entire city of Zagreb was mapped, which required over 500 hours of driving and more than 11,700 kilometres driven in all weather conditions.
At the beginning of this year, these tests of the Verne robotaxis were expanded across Zagreb to include a user application for ordering a ride and an admin portal. This is a system through which the entire fleet of vehicles will be monitored.
“This is a big step that we’ve integrated our software platform. It’s been developed entirely in-house and is used in the test vehicles. In addition to autonomous driving, we’re now testing the entire service and user experience. In addition, we’re going to significantly increase the scope of this testing in autumn this year. We will strengthen the fleet of Verne robotaxis. This will allow us to test the service even more thoroughly with the aim of ensuring maximum safety. At this stage, the tests will continue to be conducted with the presence of safety drivers. It’s very important to emphasise that the additional test vehicles and all costs of testing the service and user experience are being financed exclusively from private investments and are not related to EU funding,” added Pejković.
the construction of the verne factory is progressing at a good pace
In parallel with the development of technology and vehicles, as well as the concrete testing of the Verne robotaxis in Zagreb, the construction of a production facility is underway.
The factory to produce these autonomous electric vehicles is situated in Lučko, and it began at the beginning of the year. It’s currently progressing rapidly. On the site of a new ten-hectare business park – VGP Park Zagreb, the basic structure of the 28,500 square metre Verne factory has already been completed. All load-bearing columns and 95% of the roof beams have now been installed, and the installation of the roof covering will begin in early April.
Upon completion of the works, the factory will be equipped with the latest technology for the production, assembly and testing of Verne robotaxis and will create up to 400 new jobs. The plan is for Verne’s vehicles to be manufactured at the Zagreb factory and then exported to global markets.
