Verne’s CEO, Rimac’s robotaxi project, leaves the company

The CEO of Verne responsible for robotaxis, Briton Darren Gwynne, has left the company. He was appointed to this position in September last year, and as noted in the UK register, Gwynne left on the last day of the previous year, as revealed by Index.

However, this is not the end of the problems for Mate Rimac‘s robotaxi project. In less than two months, this company will have to showcase 60 robotaxi prototypes, including the development of platforms for autonomous vehicles and battery systems, and prototype testing and autonomous driving system testing must be completed.

Testing in the UK and Zagreb

Index attempted to find out whether they will succeed in this on time. The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure states that ‘the process of creating and approving verification prototypes used for testing specific technologies and vehicle systems is underway.’

Interestingly, in the ministry led by Minister Oleg Butković, they do not know which body approves the verification prototypes, but they expect them by the last day of March this year, which is also the deadline.

– Testing is being conducted at several locations – in the United Kingdom, where the partner company R&D UK is located and where the HORIBA MIRA testing complex is situated, and in Zagreb, where testing and demonstrations of autonomous driving are taking place – the Ministry told Index.

Developed by Israelis, funded by the EU

The partner company mentioned by the Ministry was established by Rimac in the UK as a subsidiary of the Croatian company responsible for robotaxis. This company, founded in Wellesbourne, specializes in design, scientific-technical engineering, and technical testing and is responsible for completing the robotaxi project funded by the European Union with €179 million, specifically for activities related to vehicle development and production line development.

Rimac has previously purchased a complete autonomous vehicle system from the Israeli company Mobileye, and is now completing the robotaxi project and testing in the UK. Index asked, given that the EU funds this project, why at least this part of the project and testing is not being conducted within the European Union?

– Most testing will be done within the European Union. Verne, in collaboration with its technology partner Mobileye, is currently conducting testing and demonstrations of autonomous driving in Zagreb. Part of the Verne team is located in our office in the United Kingdom, in Wellesbourne, where part of the vehicle system testing is also taking place. There is also one of the most reputable vehicle testing complexes in the world – Horiba Mira – stated the response they received from Verne.

No mention of the 60 prototypes

As they emphasize, Project 3 Mobility R&D UK is a partner in the project, and the costs of their subsidiary are not included or covered by EU funding.

– This cost, like most other company expenses, is covered by private investments, from €100 million raised from private investors – stated the response they received from Verne. We asked what stage the creation of the verification prototypes, of which there should be 60 by the end of March, is at, but they provided a ‘creative’ answer.

– We are in the process of creating verification prototypes intended for testing various parts, technologies, and vehicle systems, including aerodynamics, braking systems, steering, acceleration, and other key vehicle components. The approval process is conducted according to the conditions defined in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – they say from Verne.

In the response, they do not mention the number of prototypes, but they state that each individual prototype is intended for the validation of one or more systems within the vehicle and all systems integrated into a whole.

– After confirming a specific system, the remaining prototypes for other types of testing are produced – they conclude from Verne.

Who is Gwynne?

But let’s return to the now former director. Gwynne was introduced in September this year as an expert with over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry. Before joining Verne, Gwynne spent most of his career in leadership positions at Honda.

– Gwynne has been a member of Verne’s team since mid-2020, and for the last two years, he has served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Director of Verne’s UK office in Wellesbourne. His valuable industry experience includes managing the entire supply chain and serial production of motor vehicles, relationships with business clients and partners, as well as leading strategic projects and multinational teams, with an emphasis on operational and financial efficiency of the organization – the announcement stated.

Index sent an inquiry to Verne nine days ago regarding the testing of prototypes and autonomous driving systems in the United Kingdom and a number of other details, and they only received a response today in the afternoon.

The response detailed the work of the partner company in the United Kingdom, which Gwynne had led for many years. In our follow-up inquiry, if they were already so detailed with the data about the British company, why they did not include the information that Gwynne had left, they told us that this has only now been communicated and published.

Layoffs and closures

Recently, we reported that Snježana Miliša and Matija Renić, former lead engineers at Bugatti Rimac, left the company and founded Merlin Hat, a startup that connects investors and startups. Their goal is to facilitate investments in technology projects and reduce the communication gap between innovators and investors, and they are currently focused on developing the idea, with Renić gradually shifting his focus from Rimac to the new company by the end of March.

Additionally, Rimac Technology announced that it will close its Split office by June 30 due to low space utilization, but it will remain present in Split, as confirmed to Index. Employees will be allowed to work remotely or relocate to Zagreb with financial support. Despite the office closure, Rimac continues to promise growth and is reportedly set to hire another 300 people this year.