Through the strategic partnership, NEoT Capital (NEoT) and the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (3SIIF), will seek to deploy capital to boost the transition to zero-emission mobility in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The partnership will initially look to invest in zero-emission buses and associated infrastructure across the CEE region, with the expectation of expanding into other fleet sectors such as municipal vehicles and delivery vehicles.
Since entering the market in 2017, NGM has established itself as a leading financier of zero-emission vehicles, charging infrastructure and static batteries in Europe. NGM is managed by NEoT, an innovative management company bringing together technical expertise and financial structuring to develop turnkey service and financing solutions for low carbon mobility and stationary projects.
3SIIF is a dedicated commercial fund targeting infrastructure investments in the CEE region. The Fund invests in energy, transport and digital infrastructure in EU CEE member states which border the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas where the demand for long-term commercial investment into national infrastructure is among the highest in the EU. Amber Infrastructure, as 3SIIFs investment adviser, has an established track record in developing and investing in energy storage assets and zero emission vehicles.
The partnership will deliver projects across the CEE region to help member states achieve the objectives associated with the EUs Clean Vehicle Directive. Zero-emission buses will form the initial focus of the partnership, but as more heavy-duty vehicles become available to the market, NEoT and 3SIIF will also look to support large fleet operators in the region in their decarbonisation process.
The partnership will support CEE bus operators in their switch to zero-emission mobility bringing flexible and tailored solutions. These “mobility-as-a-service” solutions provide a complete financing and asset management package (covering buses, batteries, telematics and charging infrastructure) through to a more traditional bus leasing solution for operators who have their own charging infrastructure capabilities will make simpler and accelerate the energy transition of the operators and the local authorities.
The partnership will seek to provide long-term funding solutions to bus operators, thus providing them with cost certainty for the full life of the vehicles while also providing contractual flexibility to allow for technology upgrades during the life of the contract.
“Cities are increasingly requiring solutions for a clean, sustainable future, with zero-emission mobility playing an essential role,” said Philippe Ringenbach, CEO of NEoT. “The partnership with 3SIIF reinforces our commitment to develop sustainable public transportation systems and other key mobility segments leveraging our expertise in zero-emission mobility”.
Christian Roy, Investment Director at Amber Infrastructure commented: “This strategic partnership provides 3SIIF with a strong entry point into the promising zero-emission mobility sector. The cooperation with NEoT, a true market leader in the clean-energy transition, represents a compelling proposition to support 3SIIF’s sustainability objectives as vehicle electrification is critical to reducing air pollution caused by emissions and meeting decarbonisation goals”.