Project 3 Mobility (P3), founded by the founder of Croatian electric car company Rimac Group, unveiled its self-driving robotaxi named after French writer Jules Verne on Wednesday, with a delivery date of 2026.
The business anticipates that its completely autonomous two-seat electric car Verne will be able to provide urban robotaxi services, replete with a customer app and a charging, cleaning, and maintenance hub, beginning in Zagreb.
“What we are trying to do is to deliver a luxury car experience in the space of a compact car,” Mate Rimac, CEO of the Rimac Group, which is part-owned by Porsche AG (P911_p.DE), said during the presentation.
“It’s the size of a smaller vehicle, but has higher safety and higher comfort than a luxury car.”
Rimac stated that P3’s 300 people have spent five years developing the automobile from the ground up, employing self-driving software from Israel-based Mobileye Global (MBLY.O).
Zagreb and ten other cities around the world have already signed contracts for Verne cabs, which are named after the author of Around the World in 80 Days. P3 CEO Marko Pejkovic confirmed that talks with 20 more locations are now underway.
The automobile plant will be erected on the outskirts of Zagreb, according to Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic.
Last February, P3 closed its Series A funding round, which raised around 100 million euros ($106.8 million) from private investors including TASARU Mobility Investments, a unit of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), South Korean automaker Kia (000270.KS), and Rimac Group.
It has also received 180 million euros in European Union grants for the project.