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4 clusters · 26 sources · 32 days · First seen 2 months ago · Last updated 29 days ago

Mate Rimac robotaxi project funding crisis

Overview

Mate Rimac’s company, Project 3 Mobility (Verne), has failed to meet the core requirements and deadlines for its robotaxi project, which was supported by 179.5 million euros in European Union funds through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO).

The project’s failure stems from the company’s inability to produce a proprietary level five autonomous vehicle, a key condition of the funding agreement. While robotaxis are currently operating in Zagreb, they rely on level four autonomy via partnerships with Uber and Pony.ai rather than the mandated level five technology. To date, the company has only officially justified 8.7 million euros of the 89.9 million euros disbursed.

Following the project’s official deadline on August 30, 2026, Verne has moved to resolve its financial liabilities. The company has submitted a final request for funds reimbursement to the Central Agency for Financing and Contracting (SAFU) to return 89.7 million euros in public funds. This submission includes no requests for additional cost coverage.

SAFU now has 60 days to review the documentation and final reports to determine the exact amount to be returned to the state, assessing whether contractual obligations were met and if reported expenses were eligible. This follows significant scrutiny regarding Verne’s ability to repay the funds, as financial reports from the end of 2025 showed the company held only 5.7 million euros in cash and recorded a yearly loss of 20.87 million euros.

Entities

Verne · Mate Rimac · Project 3 Mobility · European Union · SAFU

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

"Verne is prepared to return 89.7 million euros in advances if an evaluation shows contractual obligations were not met."

vs

"Verne is expected to return approximately 80.98 million euros in previously disbursed funds."

One claim states Verne is prepared to return 89.7 million euros, while the other states it is expected to return approximately 80.98 million euros.
"Of the 89.75 million euro advance, approximately 8.77 million euros have been justified."

vs

"Of the funds disbursed, the company has only justified 8.7 million euros."

The claims provide different amounts for the funds justified by the company (8.7 million euros versus 8.77 million euros).

[DISPUTED] Verne is prepared to return 89.7 million euros in advances if an evaluation shows contractual obligations were not met.
[DISPUTED] Of the funds disbursed, the company has only justified 8.7 million euros.
[DISPUTED] Verne is expected to return approximately 80.98 million euros in previously disbursed funds.
[DISPUTED] Of the 89.75 million euro advance, approximately 8.77 million euros have been justified.
[● 8 SOURCES] The robotaxi project officially reached its deadline on August 30, 2026.
[● 3 SOURCES] Project 3 Mobility (Verne) was approved for 179.5 million euros from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO).
[● 3 SOURCES] Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that the state fulfilled all necessary prerequisites, including infrastructure and legal changes.
[● 3 SOURCES] Verne submitted all final reports and documentation to SAFU within the deadline.
[● 2 SOURCES] Croatia has received 7.3 billion euros in funds from the NPOO to date.
[● 2 SOURCES] Verne submitted a final reimbursement request for zero euros.
[● 2 SOURCES] SAFU has 60 days to verify the documentation and make a final decision.
[○ 1 SOURCE] The key requirement to develop a proprietary level 5 autonomous vehicle was not fulfilled.

Timeline

29 days ago

[BUSINESS] 8 sources
Verne to return 89.7 million euros in EU funds
Mate Rimac’s company, Verne, will return 89.7 million euros in EU funds after submitting a final reimbursement request for its robotaxi project that does not claim any additional costs.
about 1 month ago

[BUSINESS] 2 sources
Verne robotaxi project faces scrutiny over 80 million euros in public funds
Verne's robotaxi project faces uncertainty over 80 million euros in public funds after failing to meet key autonomous vehicle development goals required by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
about 2 months ago

[BUSINESS] 11 sources
Verne prepared to return 89.7 million euros following robotaxi project deadline
Verne, Mate Rimac’s company, is prepared to return 89.7 million euros in EU funds if an evaluation finds its robotaxi project failed to meet contractual obligations, including level 5 autonomy development.
2 months ago

[BUSINESS] 11 sources
Mate Rimac's robotaxi project faces failure over level five autonomy requirement
Mate Rimac’s Project 3 Mobility (Verne) may have to return millions in EU funds after failing to produce a level five autonomous robotaxi by the August 31 deadline.

Sources

24sata.hr · avto-magazin.metropolitan.si · dnevno.hr · europesays.com · financije.hr · glas-slavonije.hr · index.hr · lider.media · lider.mk · monitor.hr · n1info.hr · novac.jutarnji.hr · novilist.hr · off.net.mk · ogportal.com · plusinfo.mk · pogled.ba · poslovni.hr · radiosarajevo.ba · telegram.hr · teleskop.hr · tip.ba · vecernji.ba · vijesti.hrt.hr · vojvodjanskireporter.rs · zagorje.com

This summary has been updated 4 times: see revision history