Meet Verne, The Fully Autonomous EV With A Touch Of Rimac

Verne. That is the name of a new automotive concept that none other than Mate Rimac, founder of the Croatian supercar brand Rimac, has been involved with. Two direct colleagues of Mate Rimac have also interfered with Verne, not the least. For example, Marko Pejković, previously Chief Strategy Officer at Rimac, is now CEO of Verne, and the designer of the Rimac Nevera, Adriano Mudri, has been appointed Chief Design Officer. That’s all well and good, but what does the Verne have to offer?

According to Mate Rimac and his associates, the Verne is an electric car that is part of a mobility service that will be launched in Zagreb in 2026. The car is on a completely new platform that uses hardware from Mobileye. Because the platform has been developed primarily for fully autonomous cars, the company believes that everything is much more efficient than if it were an existing platform that is also used for cars in which the driver does play a role.

Extensive technical specifications are not yet available. We do know that the Verne can accommodate up to two passengers and that the shared car “offers more interior space than a Rolls-Royce.” The Verne gets sliding doors and an interior without a dashboard. The whole thing is reminiscent of a living room and includes a wall-to-wall 43-inch display and seventeen speakers. There is a touchpad between the seats with which you can control the infotainment system. Here you will also find what Verne calls the ‘Median’, a physical button with which you start or stop the ride. Also striking is the completely round sunroof. The slick-looking Verne has no side mirrors and not even windshield wipers.

With the new mobility service, you should be able to order a Verne via a telephone application. Before the car drives to you independently, you can use your phone to adjust things such as the temperature, interior lighting, and even the scent in the car. “The car will never become the customer’s property, but it will feel like their own car,” says Verne. In every city where Verne becomes active, he opens what he calls a ‘mothership’. Indeed, with a capital letter. This should be seen as Verne’s local home base, where the cars are inspected, maintained, washed, and charged daily.

Verne is going to build a factory in Croatia. Ultimately, the mobility service should also become active outside Croatia. Verne spread his wings to the United Kingdom and Germany, among others. It also says it already has concrete plans on the table to expand its sphere of influence to eleven other cities in the European Union and the Middle East. Verne is also said to be in consultation with ‘thirty other cities beyond’.

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