A Little-Known Croatian Startup Is Coming For The Robotaxi Market With Help From Uber
A Croatian robotaxi startup named Verne is partnering with Uber and Pony.ai to launch autonomous rides in Europe. Here is what you need to know.
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A Little-Known Croatian Startup Is Coming For The Robotaxi Market With Help From Uber
Robotaxi War Heats Up: Verne, Uber and Pony.ai Target Europe A little-known Croatian startup called Verne is stepping into the global robotaxi race with heavyweight allies. In a move that signals Europe's autonomous vehicle moment may finally be arriving, Verne has joined forces with Uber and Chinese self-driving company Pony.ai to launch a commercial robotaxi service. The first city on the map is Zagreb, Croatia, and the ambitions stretch far beyond it. What Is Verne and Why Should You Care Most people in the United States have never heard of Verne. But the startup, born inside the Rimac Group ecosystem in Croatia, has been quietly building toward this moment since 2019. It started as an internal project called Project 3 Mobility before officially launching in July 2024 with 100 million euros in funding. Now it is positioning itself as Europe's answer to Waymo and Tesla's robotaxi push, with a very different operational model backing it up. Verne is the brainchild of Mate Rim…