Auve Tech, owned by Silberauto AS since the end of 2020, made a loss of €3.8 million at a turnover of €84,000 in 2022. The firm's loss came to €2.4 million in 2021.

​The company has not submitted its annual report for 2023 yet, but Rõivas told ERR that the firm's income came to €3.3 million and loss before amortization to around €2 million.

"We are betting on technological development and have not prioritized profit in the rapid growth phase. Because we have not raised investments, it gives us the freedom to develop our ambitious vision also during economically difficult times," he said.

Taavi Rõivas accompanied Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna on a visit to Japan two weeks ago. A Postimees journalist attached to the minister's delegation wrote that a slide presentation revealed several problems with Auve Tech vehicles, including difficulties climbing inclines, lack of rapid charging, climate problems in the cabin, and inability to change lanes and avoid obstacles.

ERR asked Rõivas whether these reports have merit. The supervisory board member said that manufacturing vehicles is a difficult and complex process to which we can add geographical and climatic differences between Estonia and Japan, noting that overcoming these issues is the joint goal of Auve Tech and its strategic partner for Japan, Boldly, which is a subsidiary of Softbank.

"Compared to teaching a car to drive itself, climate control and charging issues are relatively simple to sort out," Rõivas said. "When it comes to going up slopes, we're talking about going from tackling 12-percent inclines to 15 percent, which one is not likely to come across in Estonia. We want to test all safety-related features several times and in different conditions before making any pledges."

Rõivas said that testing has taken place in Estonia and Japan and progress is being made to have Auve Tech's self-driving vehicle Mica certified for use in the mountains.

"The rapid charging issues are very technical and linked to [Japan having] a very different power grid, while the Japanese are close to a solution, working with our engineers," Rõivas said.

He also said that the vehicle can change lanes while in self-driving mode, while the problem is created when the operator switches to manual control and makes the wrong decision for whatever reason. But Rõivas added that a solution will be found to this issue as well.

In addition to Japan, Auve Tech is also looking at various European markets and has been active in a total of 16 countries, including as part of everyday public transport in Finland.

"Our general goal is to give active young engineers the chance to build things of the future," Rõivas said.

He remarked that Auve Tech has sold more than ten vehicles to Japan and became the market leader there in just one year, having 48 percent of the Japanese market.

"Every single vehicle we've sold to Japan is being operated on a daily basis, most of them in open traffic," Rõivas said, adding that Auve Tech and Boldly are planning sales, operation and development activities together.

Auve Tech's 2022 annual report puts the average number of employees at 45, with turnover generated from sales in Estonia, Czechia and Finland that year.

As of the end of 2022, Auve Tech's liabilities exceeded the total amount of current assets by more than a million euros, but a shareholder confirmed that, if necessary, they would provide financial assistance.

The state has supported Auve Tech through the Enterprise Estonia (EAS) applied research program, from which the company received €309,684 for the development project of the second-generation autonomous vehicle. The support period lasted from October 2021 until the end of March last year.

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