Croatian electric supercar company is to launch a new ‘robotaxi’ service in Europe from 2026.

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The new spin-off business is dubbed Verne after French novelist and poet Jules Verne, and will provide a “new innovative concept of urban autonomous mobility”.

The service is based on three key elements: a fully autonomous electric two-seater vehicle, a bespoke app and specialised infrastructure. It arrives in Zagreb in 2026 before rolling out in other European cities, initially in the UK and Germany. The company has already signed agreements with 11 cities in EU, UK and the Middle East, and says it’s negotiating with more than 30 cities worldwide that want to become Verne partners.

The company has been 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 the Rimac Nevera hypercar and chief design officer at Verne.

The fully autonomous electric vehicle is built on a completely new platform designed around safety and comfort, engineered solely for autonomous driving using the Mobileye Drive autonomous platform. The robotaxi has been designed and engineered as “a safe and comfortable autonomous vehicle” and with an interior concept “that completely redefines the idea of a vehicle space”. It features sliding doors, an ultra-wide 43-inch display and 17 speakers.

The Mobility service platform (MSP) re-envisions the ride-hailing app and mobility platform. The customers can personalise the vehicle’s settings via app before ordering a ride, tailoring comfort, lighting, temperature and even scent. On the backend, Verne “uses all the benefits an autonomous connected fleet provides to make the service run smoothly and efficiently in every city”.

In each city where Verne will operate, there will be a specialised infrastructure called the “Mothership”. It is a place where the Verne vehicles will be inspected, maintained, cleaned and charged daily to ensure that the customer always gets a safe and clean vehicle.

Additionally, Verne is building its first production facility in Croatia to produce autonomous electric vehicles that will be deployed worldwide.

Adriano Mudri, chief design officer at Verne, said: “We named ourselves after the Jules Verne, the famous author, who is said to be ‘the man who invented the future’. Just as he used the theme of travel as the driving force in his storytelling, we use it as our inspiration in shaping a future filled with imaginative innovation and tangible achievement. His faith in the future and his spirit sparked the curiosity in generations of scientists and explorers. Making things that sometimes seem impossible, possible.”

Co-founder Mate Rimac said the service would offer “the best possible mobility experience for everyone”.

“This means that every customer will have a better service than the best mobility service enjoyed by the very rich, through the service that is affordable for all. You will have a safe and reliable driver, a vehicle with more interior space and comfort than the best limousines today, and a service that will be tailored to your needs in every possible way. The service will also provide customers with much more than just transportation from point A to point B.

“It frees up your travel time, allowing you to think, learn, or relax. Improving your life with every trip. We are shifting the attention from the technology itself to its benefits. Verne will transform travel time into a chance for personal growth, discovery, and enjoyment. In essence, enriching lives in every journey you take.”