EVwire brief: Uber appears to have followed through on its plan to invest in Verne, with Verne co-founder Mate Rimac describing Uber as "an investor and strategic partner" in the Croatian robotaxi company, EVwire.com has found.
Why itโs imporant is that, to date in official communications, Uber has only mentioned it โintends toโ invest in Verne back in March.
Mate Rimac made the remark in a Facebook post about Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's visit to Verne and the Rimac Campus in Zagreb, and both executives posted about the trip.
Khosrowshahi rode in a robotaxi with no safety driver, and the two discussed taking Verne beyond Croatia with its dedicated robotaxi, which has no steering wheel or pedals.
Hereโs Mate Rimacโs Facebook post:
Uber is an investor and strategic partner in Verne. Dara tried a robotaxi without a safety driver in Zagreb and was delighted with the experience. We talked about further cooperation and spreading of Verne outside Croatia with the "final" Verne car without steering wheel and pedals.
EVwire expects an official communication on the investment in the coming weeks, and we feel it is likely a part of why the Uber CEO was also there. Again, nothing of sorts is confirmed by any means.
Mate Rimac shared several photos from the Uber CEOโs visit:
Image shared by Mate Rimac on FB
Image shared by Mate Rimac on FB
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Image shared by Mate Rimac on FB
If you couldnโt zoomโฆ it says โFirst robotaxi in Europeโ on there:
From the image shared by Mate Rimac on FB
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Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi shared several photos from his visit to Verne as well, but nothing on the investment side. He also congratulated Mate Rimac and the Verne team for their efforts, and he stated that there is more to come.
Image shared by Mate Rimac on FB
Image shared by Mate Rimac on FB
It should be noted that Uber's only public statement on the matter so far has been that it โintends to invest in Verneโ. The company flagged the plan in March, when it announced its partnership with Verne and Pony AI. As per Uber at the time:
As part of the partnership, Uber intends to invest in Verne and support future expansion as a strategic partner.
Uber's own announcement in August, when it launched autonomous rides in Zagreb through its app, did not mention an investment in Verne either.
The display belongs to the purpose-built Verne two-seater. Image shared by Mate Rimac on FB.
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Context:
Verne, Pony.ai and Uber have moved quickly since the March announcement. Uber started offering Verne robotaxis in its Zagreb app in August with a safety operator still behind the wheel, and in September, Verne and Pony.ai went fully driverless for invited riders, running between Zagreb's airport and both Verne's headquarters and the city center over a 22-kilometer (13.7-mile) stretch.
An Uber stake would tie one of the world's largest ride-hailing platforms more closely to Verne's plans outside Croatia. Uber has been investing in robotaxi efforts left and right in its pursuit to become the largest facilitator of robotaxi rides in the world.
Rimac's post pegs Uber's value at $140 billion (hinting at the market cap), and neither company has disclosed the size or terms of the investment.
the 60 robotaxi prototypes Verne showed late last year
Apart from its existing robotaxis, Verne is busy developing its own dedicated autonomous two-seater that features an โinterior concept that completely redefines the idea of a vehicle space,โ and is built using the Mobileye Drive autonomous platform.
Verne noted that it opted to design its robotaxi with two seats because 9 out of 10 ride-hailing sessions are with just 1 or 2 people.
Hereโs Mate Rimac showing the first 60 prototypes of the Verneโs two-seater:
Sources: Mate Rimac on Facebook, Dara Khosrowshahi on X, Uber Investor Relations
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