Pasadena Water and Power Wins State Recognition for Electric-Vehicle Readiness

Pasadena Water and Power received the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle Readiness Award, the utility reported to the City Council on June 8.

The award, administered by California’s New Motor Vehicle Board, recognizes municipalities that have demonstrated exceptional progress toward readiness for electric vehicles — through charging infrastructure, purchase and lease incentives, public education and innovative policies. For Pasadena, the recognition ties a statewide award to electric-vehicle rebate programs the municipal utility already offers its more than 65,000 electric customers.

Lynne Chaimowitz, the utility’s assistant general manager of water and power, reported the award at the council meeting, according to the city’s weekly newsletter. General Manager David Reyes accepted the certificate alongside New Motor Vehicle Board President Jacob Stevens and Mayor Victor Gordo.

The board, a state agency, created the recognition to commend communities for their readiness work and to highlight strategies that other jurisdictions can adopt. Its criteria also weigh collaboration with stakeholders and the integration of equity considerations. The program falls under the board’s strategic plan and is tied to a 2025 state executive order on reducing transportation emissions. The board describes the recognition as voluntary, noting that it confers no funding or vested right.

Pasadena Water and Power is a community-owned, non-profit municipal utility. Beyond its electric service, it delivers water to nearly 38,000 households and businesses in the city and adjacent San Gabriel Valley communities. The utility has said it aims to source 100% carbon-free electricity by the end of 2030.

The recognition adds to a series of honors for the utility. Pasadena Water and Power earned national safety and communications awards in 2025 from the American Public Power Association, and it has secured state and federal grants for energy-storage projects, including a 2024 state grant of about $9.6 million to build its first battery-storage system at the Glenarm Power Plant.

The utility’s current electric-vehicle incentives include rebates of $600 for a Wi-Fi-enabled Level 2 home charger and $200 for a standard model, according to the state’s DriveClean program. Customers can also receive a $500 rebate toward a used electric vehicle purchased from a Pasadena auto dealer, with an additional $1,000 for customers enrolled in the utility’s income-qualifying programs. Vehicles bought entirely online through direct-sale manufacturers do not qualify for the dealer rebate, the program’s terms state.

Information on the utility’s electric-vehicle programs is posted at PWPweb.com/EV.