Croatian start-up Verne wants its svelte robo-cabs to reshape urban travel
Can the creators of Rimac’s electric hypercar transform urban mobility with Verne, their new autonomous start-up?
Automotive autonomy remains an unknown quantity. Despite gung-ho early predictions about the inevitability and ubiquity of self-driving technology, the legal, philosophical and, above all, technical barriers to widespread adoption remain stubbornly in place.
Verne is a new company that proudly bills itself as an 'innovative concept of urban autonomous mobility'. Co-founded by Croatian engineer and entrepreneur Mate Rimac, Verne will launch as a complete eco-system of vehicle, app and service, beginning in Zagreb in 2026.
Rimac is best known for his eponymous electric hypercar company, and for Verne – named after the French pioneer of science fiction – he has joined forces with two Rimac Group colleagues, Marko Pejković, now CEO of Verne, and new chief design officer Adriano Mudri, the designer of the Rimac Nevera hypercar.
The Nevera is one of the fastest electric cars ever made, but Verne's service will run at a rather more leisurely pace. The public face of the service is a new fully autonomous electric vehicle, a compact two-seater with a spacious interior that makes the most of the absence of driver, dashboard, and steering wheel.
A driverless future: inside Verne’s autonomous taxi
'The data shows that nine out of ten rides are used by one or two people. Therefore, we can satisfy most of all trips with a two-seater and create unmatched interior space in a compact-sized vehicle,' says Mudri. 'More space than a Rolls-Royce to relax and spend your time well. We wanted to make the interior less automotive and more like a living room [with] an ultra-wide 43-inch display that you can use. This is for entertainment but also to get information about the journey during the ride.'
Fixtures and fittings will be luxurious but hardwearing – think business class – with a touchpad for controlling the environment and a key physical switch, the 'Median', which will start and stop your pre-booked trip. All this is set beneath a round sunroof that the company calls the Halo ring.
The two-seat, driverless interior gives the compact vehicle a distinctive silhouette, with a long canopy-like windscreen that reaches almost to the front bumper. This inside-out design approach creates something the Verne team describe as 'spaceship-like', a look emphasised by the absence of conventional accessories like windscreen wipers and mirrors. 'This makes the aerodynamic performance more efficient and allows for easier cleaning,' says Mudri, who adds that a trunk is kept as it'll tie in with the projected use cases.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The core of the service is an app that not only allows customers to hail a ride, but also to personalise the incoming vehicle to their tastes in 'comfort, lighting, temperature and even scent'. In short, Verne is an upscale driverless taxi service, a blend of Uber and Zipcar with a mature, self-driving technology.
It's the latter that'll make or break the idea. Verne is partnering with autonomous specialist Mobileye, with its Mobileye Drive platform. The vehicle will be outfitted with a substantial sensor set (cameras, radar and lidar) to help it navigate local traffic, changes in weather conditions and the countless other factors that'll come into play to make the system a success.
To make all this happen, not only is the city of Zagreb a willing partner, but fresh physical infrastructure will be required. Each city will have its own 'Mothership', a fancy name for a depot that'll charge, clean and service each machine ready for its daily shift. The next countries on Verne's roll-out roadmap are the UK and Germany, as well as the Middle East.
'The end result would be the best possible mobility experience for everyone,' says Mate Rimac. 'This means that every customer will have a better service than the best mobility service enjoyed by the very rich, through a service that is affordable for all.'
Rimac, who founded Rimac Automobili in 2011, has seen his modest company rise to a position of technical superiority in the EV industry. With the hypercar division now known as Bugatti Rimac, the Rimac Group also has divisions working with BMW and Porsche. Although pure automotive passion was the original catalyst for the company, Verne is a very different proposition, combing EV and autonomy in a pioneering way that has been much theorised but not yet put into practice.
'We are shifting the attention from the technology itself to its benefits,' says Rimac. 'Verne will transform travel time into a chance for personal growth, discovery, and enjoyment. In essence, enriching lives in every journey you take.'
Find out more at LetsVerne.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
The wait is over: Matthieu Blazy is Chanel’s new creative director
Matthieu Blazy has been appointed as the new artistic director at Chanel, after a critically lauded and commercially successful tenure as creative director of Bottega Veneta
By Jack Moss Published
-
Alaïa’s secret new London café and bookstore is inspired by the art of hosting
Housed on the third floor of Alaïa’s London flagship, the intimate space – inspired by Azzedine Alaïa’s famed hospitality – includes a Violet Cakes bakery and a bookstore by Claire de Rouen
By Jack Moss Published
-
Is it really possible to stage a Shakespeare play inside the game Grand Theft Auto?
Grand Theft Hamlet, a documentary debut written and directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, is about two out-of-work actors attempting to mount a full production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, inside the violent world of Grand Theft Auto, shot entirely in game
By Billie Walker Published
-
The exclusive Callum Skye EV reveals its interior style ahead of a 2025 launch
The Skye is a bespoke sporting EV with a lightweight ethos and an unconventional design. The forthcoming car now has a fully finished interior
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
La Vie en Rose: can the Jaguar Type 00 reset the narrative surrounding the brand’s reinvention?
This is the Jaguar Type 00, the first physical manifestation of the reborn brand’s new commitment to ‘Exuberant Modernism’. We take it for a semiotic spin
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Revived Scout Motors reveals two all-electric utility vehicle concepts
As Scout throws the covers off its debut Traveler SUV and Terra truck concepts, Wallpaper* speaks to its chief design officer Chris Benjamin about the reborn brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Cadillac extends its EV portfolio with the new Vistiq, a luxury three-row SUV
If you absolutely have to drive an SUV, the launch of the Cadillac Vistiq means the marque now offers a full suite of electric options
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Kia fields a pair of all-electric camping concepts, the PV5 WKNDR and EV9 ADVNTR
The 2024 SEMA show saw two new concept designs from Kia, exploring the art and function of the all-electric camping machine
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The new Smart #5 takes the brand's essential character upmarket and offroad
Kai Sieber, head of design Smart at Mercedes-Benz Design, discusses the evolution and style of the new Smart #5
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Looking for a long-range luxury EV that’s a true Tesla alternative? Welcome to the Lucid Air
We drive the Lucid Air, the high-performance Californian EV that’s a welcome leftfield choice in a sea of Musk-mobiles. Vote Lucid!
By Guy Bird Published
-
All hail the arrival of true autonomy? On Tesla’s proposed Robotaxi and techno-insecurity
Tesla’s new marketing push predicts a future of robot cabs, automated buses and autonomous home androids. We already want to get off
By Jonathan Bell Published