With the Packaged Investment for Smart Cities (ISC), BABLE is developing an innovative financing instrument that facilitates aggregated demand bundling for electric fleets, electric charging stations and related infrastructure and services. The ISC helps streamline the procurement of this infrastructure and related services for European cities and municipal companies by providing a process that is simple, easy and cost-saving, taking the workload away from these entities and unlocking access to additional suppliers and capital through the expertise of BABLE, Climate-KIC and South Pole.

The ISC mobilizes public and private climate finance through an innovative, replicable and scalable model for packaged investment bundles that structures two smart city solutions – electric vehicle fleets and charging infrastructure (based on renewable resources) – along with related infrastructures and services. BABLE will coordinate demand aggregation and transactions around the packaged solutions, while cities and companies benefit from a simplified process, external expertise and overall cost savings on their electric fleet transition or expansion.

As 2020 is the initial pilot year of ISC, this first round of investments will also inform the development of a digital investment tool that supports these activities and will aim to provide automated services in the future. The tool will link private capital to aggregated investment opportunities and support investments that are made in a structured, secure and reliable way. Up until now a transition to e-fleets in combination with a focus on charging infrastructure has only been successfully demonstrated within larger pilot projects – usually backed by public grant money. Opening-up the e-fleet and charging infrastructure market for private capital will boost the transition to electric mobility in cities in Europe.

The ISC is supported by The City Finance Lab – a joint initiative of South Pole and EIT Climate-KIC – which is a platform supporting the development of innovative, replicable, and scalable financing solutions that drive investment into climate-resilient, low-carbon and green urban projects for sustainable cities. Learn more on the website: www.cityfinancelab.com.