Verne changes direction: New details on the robotaxi launch

When Mate Rimac and his team presented an ambitious plan for the development of robotaxis a few years ago, the project was envisioned as a technological breakthrough, a proprietary vehicle, and a new industry that would develop from Croatia. Today it is clear that the path to that goal has veered off, but not necessarily come to a halt.

The entry of Uber and the Chinese Pony.ai into the Verne project marks a new phase. And it is one that separates two stories that have so far overlapped, the development of technology financed by European money and the actual launch of the service on the streets.

Uber is not part of the EU project

From Verne, they are trying to clearly delineate this from the start, stating that the collaboration between Verne and Uber is not part of the EU project. More precisely, they add that ‘this phase is completely separate from the project for the development of new vehicles and infrastructure co-financed by EU funds’ and that it ‘is entirely financed by private investors’.

This means that what citizens of Zagreb will soon see, robotaxis driving around the city, is not a direct realization of the project from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, but a parallel, market-oriented project.

All funds allocated to Verne through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (so far withdrawn 89.7 million euros) have been used for the development, testing, and operational preparations of the final system, in accordance with the approved phases of the project – the company states.

The Ministry of Finance confirms that the production and testing of all 60 verification prototypes have been successfully completed, but the real battle is yet to come. By August 31, 2026, which is the deadline for all measures of the NPOO, the service must be operational in order to withdraw the remaining funds. This strict ‘timeline’ sheds new light on the ‘shopping’ of technology; Verne is no longer just buying autonomy, he is buying time to meet the strict criteria of the European Commission by the end of August 2026.

In this new configuration, everyone has their role. Verne remains the owner of the fleet and the service operator, Pony.ai brings the autonomous driving technology, while Uber enters as an investor and global distribution channel.

– Uber participates in the project as an investor in Verne and as a platform partner – they state, adding that the service will be available both through their application and through Uber’s network.

It is precisely this triangle, local operator, global platform, and specialized technology partner that reveals the real transformation of the project. Instead of developing everything ‘in-house’, Verne is now assembling the system from existing, already proven components. This is particularly evident in the issue of autonomous driving technology. The former partner Mobileye is no longer in focus, although Verne does not formally speak of a breakup. Instead, they explain the logic behind the decision.

Better ‘Chinese’

– Project 3 Mobility does not develop its own autonomous driving system, but from the beginning builds a model that relies on the integration of proven technological solutions from partners – they say from Verne. After testing several systems in Zagreb, including Mobileye, the choice fell on Pony.ai because, as they say, ‘it best meets the current technical, operational, and time requirements of the project’.

Namely, the Pony.ai system has already passed more than 55 million kilometers of autonomous driving globally, and in Zagreb itself, it has quietly completed over 40 thousand kilometers of tests, the company states.

Additionally, Verne proudly points out that Croatia has regulatory ‘defeated’ Germany and the UK by introducing a special legal category of ‘automated road transport of passengers’ in November 2024.

Such a decision has clear business logic as the development of autonomous driving is measured in billions, and even global players like Cruise or Argo, despite huge investments, have faced serious problems. Verne has clearly assessed that there is no time for a long development cycle if it wants to be the first to enter the market. However, perhaps the biggest departure from initial expectations lies in what will actually be driving on the streets of Zagreb. The first phase will not include the futuristic Verne two-seater without a steering wheel, but existing vehicles and that with the presence of a safety operator.

Starting with a driver

– In this phase of the project, we plan to commercially launch the service using existing vehicles with the presence of a safety operator in the vehicle – they announce. They also add that this is a standard approach in the industry, as used by Waymo, and that the goal is ‘to ensure maximum safety and gradually prove the safety of the vehicles for passengers and the environment’.

In other words, the robotaxis will initially have a driver. Only later will the phase of complete autonomy come, without an operator, and then the final Verne vehicle, the two-seater that has already been presented to the public, should hit the road, but ‘is not intended for driving with the presence of a safety operator’.

This transitional phase, they emphasize, is not financed by European money, but has been introduced to reduce risk and accelerate market entry. EU funds, they claim, are still tied to the development of the final system.

Nevertheless, Verne continues to strive to maintain the narrative of public interest, stating that their service is ‘an upgrade of the existing public transport system’ and that they are open to cooperation with institutions to define the framework for the use of vehicles in the public interest, although at this stage it is clear that the primary focus is on market sustainability and partnership with Uber.

And this narrative is soon expected to receive an official stamp. The City of Zagreb confirms that they have received a proposal for an agreement that also includes ZET, and a key item is the establishment of a voucher model for autonomous mobility for persons with reduced mobility, which should demonstrate the social benefit of the project, but also meet the conditions of the Ministry of Finance, which expects signing as early as the first quarter of 2026.

– All funds allocated to Verne through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (so far withdrawn 89.7 million euros) have been used for the development, testing, and operational preparations of the final system, in accordance with the approved phases of the project – the company states.

So far, 89.7 million euros have been withdrawn from EU funds, while private capital has exceeded 100 million, not counting the new investment round in which Uber is also participating. The question that inevitably arises is, where is today that ‘final system’? The answer is still open, vehicle production, they say, begins only ‘after the completion of the research and development process’, which means that the industrial phase of the project has not yet begun.

Global ambitions

In the meantime, the focus is on launching the service. Zagreb is the pilot, but ambitions are global.

– Citizens of Zagreb will soon have the opportunity to experience the first commercial ride in robotaxis in Europe, they announce, with plans to expand to other cities.

In this picture, Uber plays a key role, not as an operator, but as a channel that can quickly scale the service to new markets. This is perhaps the most concrete signal that Verne is no longer thinking as a development project, but as a platform that must become market sustainable. At the same time, the inclusion of the Chinese partner raises questions about data and security.

– All user, operational, and sensor data is stored and processed within the European Union, in accordance with GDPR regulations – the company reassures. They also emphasize that the transfer outside the EU is strictly controlled and that ‘cryptographic keys remain under exclusive control within Europe’.

On paper, this is an answer that meets the regulatory framework; in practice, it will be one of the key issues as the project grows.

The initial vision may have changed, but the goal remains the same, they state, to bring autonomous mobility from the laboratory to the street. Only this path is now going faster, more pragmatically, and with many more compromises than it initially seemed.