Zrinka Hrga, Human Resources Director at Project 3 Mobility, talks about the development of the robotaxi
A project poised to completely change the future of urban mobility is being developed in Croatia. The Croatian startup Project 3 Mobility is working on the new concept of urban mobility and its representatives are saying that, by the end of 2024, Zagreb will be one of the first cities in the world to get robotaxis.
In just one year, the P3 team has grown from 76 to 200 members. The company is currently working on three main components: the autonomous electric vehicle, specialized infrastructure, and a complete service platform. Project 3 Mobility has already signed agreements with five cities and is in communication/negotiation with 35 other cities across Europe and the world interested in the project.
The significance of P3’s project will be enormous for Croatia. The company plans to build a large-volume production facility for its electric vehicles in Croatia. Additionally, the project is attracting many experts, who have decided to move to Croatia from different countries and continents.
The story has only just begun, and Project 3 Mobility is already planning to have 300 employees by the end of 2020, and around 1,000 people in the next two years. This was announced by Zrinka Hrga, Human Resources Director at Project 3 Mobility, in her interview for Poslovni dnevnik. Talent is being attracted not only by the company’s ambitious vision but also by many benefits, including stakes in Project 3 Mobility, a scheme that is currently being developed.
What stage is Project 3 Mobility in at the moment?
Project 3 Mobility is developing a new mobility ecosystem, which will completely change transportation in urban centers. Right now, we are working on three project components: the autonomous electric vehicle, specialized infrastructure, and a complete service platform.
Additionally, we are in communication with other cities around the world that are interested in our service. We already have agreements with five cities and are negotiating with another 35 cities worldwide, who want to become our partners.
What profiles of experts and employees are you looking for to work on this project that is developing a new mobility system?
Currently, we need experts and engineers in the field of software and vehicle development. The other important element of our project is setting up the service platform and, in that segment, we employ leading experts experienced in service and app development. Furthermore, we want to provide an extraordinary driving experience, which is a task for experts in creating and designing the best user experience.
The third component is the specialized infrastructure, where we have positions in the field of construction and innovative solutions. And we also have a demand for a large number of project managers, especially since we will be developing the service in multiple cities at the same time.
To keep it short, we need highly motivated people who want to design a new experience of urban mobility. We need people who are attracted to using the latest technologies and approaches and want to implement them in our project. We are innovating in every business segment, and we will change the mobility approach that hasn’t changed in decades. I should also mention the fact that the large-volume production of our electric vehicles will be based in Croatia, which means there will be a greater focus on jobs in vehicle production and logistic.
How many people have you employed so far and how many are you planning to employ in the future?
Over the past year, the P3 team has grown from 76 to 200 members, and we plan to hire more people by the end of this year. Our plan is to build a team of 300 people by the end of 2022 and to have close to a thousand employees in two years.
Once we launch the first service in Zagreb, we will have a demand for additional positions at the Mobility Center and the production facility, which will also be close to Zagreb.
Are you able to find the needed experts in the local market?
We can proudly say that, so far, we have found a great number of local experts. But as we have our offices in Croatia and the UK, we are open to hiring in both locations.
In your team you have some international experts, where are they come from?
A lot of experts moved to Croatia to work on our project. In our team, we have people from different European countries like Austria, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Poland, and the UK, as well as many other countries, such as Brazil, South Africa, India, China, and Japan. Also, some of our team members have worked for the world’s largest automotive companies, including Tesla, Honda, BMW, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Hyundai, and General Motors.
How do you attract new talents, i.e. what working conditions are you offering?
Based on our experiences, our employees have been attracted to the fact that Project 3 Mobility has such an innovative and ambitious vision. Once the potential candidates find out more about our mission and vision, they are impressed. The team’s satisfaction and productivity are our priorities. Accordingly, we offer many benefits that we believe have a positive impact on their business development and personal life.
The P3 team cherishes open communication and transparency. We don’t have a classical business hierarchy and we don’t emphasize individual accomplishments. Instead, we work as a team and appreciate anyone’s opinion or contribution, regardless of their position or years of experience. We believe that everyone on the team has an equal opportunity to participate in the project, show their skills and knowledge, and contribute to our business development with their fresh ideas.
Besides, in our team, we have experts in different fields, which gives a great opportunity for a unique work experience, knowledge exchange, and learning from the best. That’s one of the biggest advantages of our startup, along with the motivating and friendly workplace atmosphere. Additionally, we also offer attractive financial packages, a possibility for development and training, and career advancement opportunities, as well as many other benefits.
In addition to all these perks and benefits, we provide our employees with both secondary and supplementary health insurance, travel insurance, childcare subsidy – up to HRK 600 per child per month, Christmas bonus, children’s gifts at holidays, and discounts on various products and services. I should also state that we are currently working on our employee stock options (ESOP) scheme, i.e. a plan that will provide all our employees with the option to buy shares of the company’s stock.
We want each and every member of our team to eventually achieve a considerable financial gain with the expected growth of the company’s value. We are all working hard to create something that will change the lives of people in the cities for the better, and it is only fair that we all benefit from the project once our vision turns into reality.
How interested are the potential candidates in working on the P3?
As I’ve already mentioned, the fact that our project is unique has generated quite an interest among our job candidates. We are working on demanding and innovative solutions that make a big impact on urban everyday life. We are creating a new mobility system that will change the future of mobility, and that is quite motivating for many of our potential candidates.
The P3 is a project that is changing the mobility industry. What is its significance for Croatia?
The project is extremely important for the entire country as we believe our service will increase the quality of lives of many. Our service is not just transportation from point A to point B, it will also give our customers the best user experience tailored to their needs.
We want the time that was once considered wasted, i.e. the time spent in traffic, to become the best utilized time and the right time to rest, have fun, or do some work. We are confident that we will ensure significant benefits for the citizens of Zagreb, and also of every other city where we plan to launch our service.
Furthermore, most of the development processes for our vehicle and complete service are based in Croatia, where we will also have the large-volume production of autonomous electric vehicles. This will benefit the Croatian economy and increase the global investors’ interest in our project. For instance, Rimac Group has attracted more than EUR 840 million in foreign investments so far, and Project 3 Mobility intends to attract even larger investments from world-renown strategic and financial investors.