CroatiaThe Croatian company Rimac, through its subsidiary Verne, was tasked with developing fully autonomous level-five electric vehicles, specialized infrastructure for autonomous and electric vehicles integrated with public transportation, and a software platform to manage the entire system under the National Program for Recovery and Development. The deadline for completing the project has passed, and according to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the project is now being evaluated based on activities completed, costs incurred, and results achieved by the end of August 2026. It appears that Rimac has not successfully developed a true level-five autonomous vehicle, and the service is not yet available on Croatian roads. Collaborations with Chinese company Pony.ai and Uber did not result in a level-five vehicle, and the current vehicle still requires a human operator, placing it at best in level-four autonomy. The service is now available via the Uber app but is limited and not significantly different from standard Uber services.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual account of the project's status, outcomes, and challenges without overtly favoring any side. It includes direct quotes from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and provides context about the expectations set by the National Program for Recovery and Development
