About ZEMO Latin America
Background and Purpose
ZEMO Latin America is an initiative to establish a regional observatory dedicated to zero-emission mobility and electric road transport in Latin America. The observatory is modelled on the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO), which has been managed by an international consortium, under the leadership of FIER Sustainable Mobility since 2017 on behalf of the European Commission. EAFO, as a multi-country platform, has played a critical role in facilitating benchmarking, policy development, and market insights across Europe’s transport sector.
Building on this experience, ZEMO Latin America aims to bring similar benefits to countries in the Global South, starting with Latin America. The observatory will serve as a neutral, knowledge-based platform for public authorities, offering data-driven insights and country comparisons that can support policy development, foster regional cooperation, and accelerate the transition to zero-emission transport.
Why an Observatory for Latin America?
The success of EAFO in Europe has demonstrated that comparative benchmarking across countries can significantly enhance policy learning and stimulate the uptake of e-mobility. When policymakers can observe how neighboring or peer countries perform on key metrics—such as electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and regulatory frameworks—they gain practical insights into what works and what can be adapted locally.
Such comparative insights are currently lacking in many parts of the Global South. Without a shared platform, each country often develops its e-mobility policies in isolation, heavily dependent on information and offers from industry actors such as vehicle manufacturers, charging hardware suppliers, and mobility service providers. This can result in fragmented markets, suboptimal pricing models, and missed opportunities for regional collaboration and efficiency.
ZEMO Latin America intends to fill this gap by offering reliable data, consistent methodologies, and transparent indicators tailored to the needs and realities of Latin American countries.
Non-Commercial and Public-Oriented Approach
FIER Sustainable Mobility believes that such an observatory should not be developed as a commercial venture. Instead, it should serve the public interest, including national and local governments, transport operators, and most important: the society, the people who rely on affordable, clean mobility solutions.
The foundation for ZEMO Latin America was laid with support from the EU and UNEP co-funded SOLUTIONSPlus project. Building on this base, FIER has continued investing in the development of the platform—on its own initiative and without commercial objectives—as a contribution to sustainable development and climate action.
Governance and Future Ownership
While FIER has initiated and developed the first versions of the observatory, the long-term goal is to establish a governance structure that is regionally embedded and operated. The observatory is intended to be structured in a foundation or similar legal structure where participating countries are represented, either through a governing board or an advisory committee.
This ensures that ZEMO Latin America remains a truly regional instrument—driven by the needs of Latin American stakeholders and answerable to the public sector institutions responsible for sustainable mobility policy.
Commitment to Zero Emission Mobility
ZEMO Latin America focuses exclusively on zero-emission mobility, in contrast to broader alternative fuels approaches. It concentrates on battery electric vehicles and other technologies that eliminate tailpipe emissions, enable the elimination of well-to-wheel emission and facilitate the uptake of truly renewable energy sources, thereby supporting national and global objectives for climate mitigation and air quality improvement.
Through transparent benchmarking, open data, and policy-relevant insights, the observatory aims to accelerate the uptake of electric road transport across the region. It aspires to become a trusted tool for governments and civil society alike in the shared mission to reduce CO₂ emissions and foster more sustainable and equitable mobility systems.