Mate Rimac Unveils Verne — a New Electric Autonomous Robotaxi Launching in 2026

By bike_ev_admin December 3, 2025 4 min read

Quick Summary

The creator of the record-breaking Rimac Nevera hypercar unveils a surprisingly calm new invention: an autonomous electric robotaxi called Verne.
Launching in Zagreb, Croatia, in Spring 2026, the two-seat pod is purpose-built for comfort, not speed.
It features a 60 kWh LFP battery, 14 hours of continuous driving, a 43-inch infotainment screen, and fully reclining lounge seats.
Verne aims to be cheaper than Uber, more comfortable than a luxury car, and fully accessible to riders who don’t drive.

Key Facts

Type: Fully autonomous electric robotaxi
Company: Verne (co-founded by Mate Rimac)
Launch: Spring 2026, Zagreb
Battery: 60 kWh LFP
Range: ~150 miles (240 km)
Driving time per charge: Up to 14 hours continuous
Motor power: ~200 hp
Seats: 2 (lounge configuration)
Autonomy: Mobileye + integrated lidar/radar/cameras
Target: Cheaper than existing ride-hailing apps
Infrastructure: Central service hub called the Mothership

Full Story — From Soul-Extraction Hypercars to a Nap Pod

Mate Rimac is famous for building electric hypercars that accelerate so violently they threaten to detach your consciousness from your skeleton. The Rimac Nevera is a $2 million physics experiment designed to rearrange your organs and then politely apologise.

So imagine the shock when Rimac’s next big idea isn’t a 250 mph missile — but a self-driving electric taxi designed for sleeping.

It’s called Verne, a fully autonomous robotaxi planned for Zagreb in 2026, and it represents the complete opposite of everything Rimac is known for. No pedals. No steering wheel. No 0–60 time that causes flashbacks. Just calm, efficiency, and lie-flat seats.

The name comes from Jules Verne, which makes perfect sense. If anyone is going to name a robotaxi after a sci-fi pioneer, it’s the guy who built the world’s fastest EV.

Technical Specifications

Power & Performance

This isn’t a Nevera replacement. Far from it.

Single electric motor
~200 horsepower
Optimised for smooth, quiet city driving
No official 0–60 mph time (“eventually” might be accurate)

The Verne is built for comfort and autonomy, not speed.

Battery & Range

60 kWh LFP battery
Approx. 150 miles (240 km) of real-world urban range
Up to 14 hours of nonstop operation per charge

LFP chemistry is durable, safe, and perfect for high-duty urban shuttles.

Design & Interior Features

The Verne is golf-sized on the outside but shockingly luxurious inside:

Two massive reclining lounge seats (lie-flat)
Full-width 43-inch screen
17-speaker surround audio
Adjustable lighting, temperature, and scents
Doors slide sideways (no bicycle casualties)

You can even set your preferred settings — light, climate, fragrance — before the car arrives, via the app.

Autonomous Technology

LiDAR
Radar
Cameras
High-precision mapping

Unlike robotaxis in the U.S., Verne hides its sensors elegantly inside the bodywork. No ugly rooftop towers.

The system is designed to handle local European driving styles, which is a polite way of saying: it can survive chaotic city traffic where lanes are decorative and rules are optional.

Pricing & Availability

Launch city: Zagreb, Croatia
Start date: Spring 2026
Target price: “Much cheaper than ride-hailing apps” like Uber or Bolt
Service model: Robotaxis deployed and serviced from a central Mothership facility
Project budget: $578 million

Verne is built as a mobility solution for everyone: elderly riders, people who can’t drive, people who don’t want to drive, and those who simply want a quiet rolling cinema.

Comparison With Competitors

Verne vs Waymo

More luxurious interior
Fully purpose-built vehicle
Cheaper ride pricing expected
More elegant sensor integration

Verne vs Cruise

Not retrofitted — engineered from scratch
Aimed at European markets first
Lounge-style cabin vs compact seating

Verne vs Zoox

Smaller footprint for narrow cities
Higher rider comfort
Longer continuous driving time

Industry Impact & Expert View

The transition from hypercar chaos to gentle robotaxi comfort signals a major shift for Rimac as a company — from performance engineering to mass-scale electric mobility.

Verne’s mix of:

low operating cost
high comfort
fully autonomous operation
ultra-dense urban design

…positions it as one of the most practical robotaxi concepts on the planet.

If successful, Croatia could become the first European country with a large-scale autonomous taxi network.

Final Thoughts

Mate Rimac has gone from building a 1,900-horsepower organ-rearranging hypercar to creating a two-seat electric nap pod for the masses — and the surprising part is that it makes perfect sense.

Verne is smart, logical, wildly comfortable, and genuinely accessible.
If this is the future of urban mobility, put us on the waiting list.

And yes — someone needs to add a “Nevera Mode” button to the app… just in case you need to get to the Mothership very quickly.