John S Martinson

I co-founded the China Mist Tea Company in my Scottsdale, Arizona garage in 1982 with a friend, and over 34 years co-nurtured it into a national and international foodservice iced tea brand.

In the year 2000, I became one of the 2,000 or so “owners” of the first commercially-marketed electric vehicle of the modern age—the General Motors (GM) EV1 battery electric vehicle (BEV) with enough range (approximately 76 miles) to satisfy my daily driving needs for the 3 years I had it.. Then, after GM “pulled the plug” on the project, and clawed it back, I waited, somewhat impatiently, for the next BEV that met my expanded needs for a family of four.

In 2013, I purchased a Tesla Model S, and since then, my wife and I have only driven electric vehicles.

In January of 2016, I earned an Executive Master of Sustainability Leadership (EMSL) from Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability, and later that year, we sold China Mist.

After about 5 years of R&R, I was bored and itched for a new project. So, on Earth Day, 2022, I and another friend, (Peter Culin, also an entrepreneur), co-founded the Scottsdale (Arizona) chapter of the nonprofit Electric Vehicle Association (EVA), where I currently serve as President.

Today, the Scottsdale Electric Vehicle Association, whose mission is to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, is the EVA's fastest growing chapter and one of its largest.

Today, I am also an Executive Producer and Advisor for the American Resilience Project, founder and admin for the EV Road Trippers Facebook Group; and an occasional writer for Green Living Magazine.

My general philosophy is that of "natural capitalism," promoting the protection and sustainability of nature's ecosystem services (natural capital) through market-based solutions supported by appropriate policy.

Born and raised in New York’s Hudson River Valley, I moved to Arizona in 1976 and currently reside in the upper Sonoran Desert.

I am married and the dad of 2.