Pasadena Launches New Program to Engage Employers & Lead the Electric Car Movement

City employees check out the new Chevy Bolt Thursday – Photo by Terry Miller

Funding from Metro supports expanded workplace charging and EV test drives

To fight smog and climate change, the City of Pasadena, in coordination with CALSTART, announced a new program aimed at expanding the use of electric cars by recruiting a new major ally – employers. With funding from Metro, the City of Pasadena rolled out a new program that is aimed at getting more employees, to drive electric cars and more employers to install chargers at the workplace.

Kicking off National Drive Electric Week, Pasadena announced new incentives for Pasadena residents to purchase electric vehicles (EV) and businesses to install EV charging infrastructure. Residents can receive up to $750 to buy/lease (new or used) EVs. This is in addition to the $10,000-plus customers can receive from state and federal agencies. Businesses can receive up to $50,000 for installing EV chargers.

“Despite a lot of great policies and programs, gasoline use in California is still increasing. We need to find new ways to accelerate the transition to zero emission cars and move away from our dependence on fossil fuels. Pasadena is showing real leadership with the SEED program by reaching out to and recruiting employers to help grow the electric vehicle market,” said John Boesel, president and CEO of CALSTART.

The Shared EV Employer Demonstrator (SEED) program offers Pasadena-based businesses the opportunity to have their employees learn more about EVs without the commitment of having to make a purchase. Interested Pasadena businesses can sign-up to receive EVs to offer their employees for test drives for a two-week period with no mileage constraints. Employers must have chargers available (in their parking lot or nearby), or must be willing to install chargers in order to qualify.

For the City of Pasadena, CALSTART is managing a novel program that will allow employers who express an interest in workplace charging to receive assistance on how to best set-up and manage a workplace charging program. GreenCommuter is CALSTART’s partner and is managing the use of the cars.

“Historically, providing energy for an employee’s car has not been the responsibility of an employer. However, we are living in new times and facing what Governor Brown has called an ‘existential threat.’ Pasadena is taking a smart next step by reaching out to and getting employers to help lead the transition to a cleaner and better transportation energy future,” said Boesel. “Building on the very impressive workplace charging program offered by Caltech for its students and employees, this program has the potential to make Pasadena a model city for the Southern California region.”

The program uses six Chevy BoltEVs, a car representing the next generation of electric vehicles because it costs less than $38,000 and has a range of more than 230 miles. CALSTART and GreenCommuter selected the Chevy BoItEV because its range and performance represent significant advancements over the cars that came to the market in the 2011-2016 period.

CALSTART is a national non-profit organization headquartered in Pasadena. The organization serves as a catalyst to accelerate the growth of the clean transportation technology industry. CALSTART has more than 190 member companies and offices in four states. For further information about CALSTART visit calstart.org.

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