verne’s autonomous electric taxi picks up commuters on its own when they book a ride

fully autonomous electric vehicles as modern taxis

Verne has introduced its fleet of fully autonomous electric taxis for carpooling, ride-sharing, or cab-hailing around cities. It’s similar to taxi bookings and services found these days, except that no one’s driving Verne’s cars, and these vehicles can still navigate through traffic jams and busy roads around the cities on their own.

Mate Rimac, the CEO of Rimac Automobili, founded the mobility company together with two of his colleagues and friends at Rimac Group, Marko Pejković, now CEO of Verne, and Adriano Mudri, the designer of Nevera and Chief Design Officer at Verne. The trio is gearing up to produce the autonomous electric taxis, which are expected to be launched in 2026 in Zagreb, Croatia, the headquarters of the mobility company.

all images courtesy of Verne

Verne installs sensor set of cameras, radar, and lidar

Verne collaborates with Mobileye, a system software company, for its autonomous electric taxis. The software company brings its sensor set of cameras, radar, and lidar to the Verne vehicles to enable their automated driving capabilities even in urban settings and traffic. The equipment can allow the cars to work their way through different locations and road types, as well as varying weather conditions. They can also take the driving styles of the nearby vehicles into account, which may be crucial for Verne given that no one’s driving their autonomous electric taxis.

A passenger-centered cabin is within Verne’s design language for the interior of its autonomous electric taxis. For starters, it can only accommodate two people because, as Chief Design Officer Adriano Mudri says, their research data shows that 9 out of 10 rides are used only by one or two people. With this in mind, the interior space is ample, even if the vehicle is compact. The design team describes it as having ‘more space than a Rolls-Royce to relax,’ even with two extra-large seats that the passengers can also use as a temporary workstation.

Verne removes the side-view mirrors for more efficient aerodynamic performance and easier cleaning

In and out of verne’s autonomous electric taxis

Sliding doors are fitted to make it easier for passengers to get in, even during traffic or on narrow roads. Once they’re inside, they notice that there’s no typical dashboard present. No steering wheel and pedals, either. At the front, it’s just a 43-inch display they can use so that before they reach their destinations, they can watch movies or listen to music. Questions about the sounds may be solved with the 17 speakers around the cabin for a surround system.

Verne’s team says that the cabin is preconditioned in terms of temperature. If it’s cold outside, it’s warm in the car, and vice-versa. The lighting design can be configured to suit the mood of the passengers and the ambiance of the interior, and between the extra-large seats, a touchpad lets the users interact with the in-vehicle system. Here, they can change the intensity of the light, the volume of the sounds, and even start or stop the ride using the physical switch called ‘the Median.’ When the passengers look up, they find a rounded sunroof, wide enough to see the outside and let natural light spill inside.

sliding doors are fitted to make it easier for passengers to get in

‘A smooth, encircling, spaceship-like canopy on top with an elegant and solid lower body’ is how Verne describes the exterior of its autonomous electric taxis. The design team removes the windshield wipers and side-view mirrors of the cars but keeps the trunk for storage space for more efficient aerodynamic performance and easier cleaning.

When it’s time to reserve the car, passengers can use Verne’s ride-hailing app. The app checks the real-time location of the car and sees how long it’s going to take to pick them up. Verne says once the app picks up on the reservation, the taxi isn’t going to be canceled. Even before the autonomous taxi comes their way, the passengers can already customize their ride, from the temperature and lighting in the cabin to the scent they want to smell inside.

Verne’s autonomous electric taxi picks up commuters on its own when they book a ride

The day is over, so Verne beckons all of its autonomous electric taxis back to Mothership, the facility where all the cars get parked, cleaned, and taken care of at the end of their shift. ‘Here is where the Verne vehicles get inspected daily, maintained daily, cleaned daily, and charged, so that they are always safe, clean, and ready to take you on a new adventure. The first Mothership will be built in Zagreb, next to our HQ,’ says Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne.

The CEO adds that the company is building a production facility in the southern part of Zagreb for the large-scale production, assembly, calibration, and testing of the autonomous electric vehicles that will be deployed worldwide. The first Verne service is set to be launched in Zagreb in 2026. After that, Verne will roll out in other European cities, first in the UK and Germany, and then in the Middle East. The company has already signed agreements with 11 cities in the EU, UK, and the Middle East and is negotiating with more than 30 cities worldwide.

a sensor set of cameras, radar, and lidar is installed in Verne cars to enable their automated driving capabilities