Skip to main content

Secondary menu

User menu

  • Join
  • OR
  • Log In

MNN - Mother Nature Network

Saturday, May 25, 2013
SPECIAL FEATURES:
  • Leaderboard
  • Nest
  • TreeHugger
  • Photos
  • Blogs
  • SB 2013
  • Joy of Less

Search form

Social links

Main menu

  • Earth Matters
    • Browse all »
    • Animals
    • Weather
    • Energy
    • Politics
    • Space
    • Translating Uncle Sam
    • Wilderness & Resources
  • Health
    • Browse all »
    • Allergies
    • Fitness & Well-Being
    • Healthy Spaces
  • Lifestyle
    • Browse all »
    • Arts & Culture
    • Travel
    • Natural Beauty & Fashion
    • Recycling
    • Responsible Living
  • Green Tech
    • Browse all »
    • Computers
    • Gadgets & Electronics
    • Research & Innovations
    • Transportation
  • Eco-Biz & Money
    • Browse all »
    • Green Workplace
    • Personal Finance
    • Sustainable Business Practices
  • Food & Drink
    • Browse all »
    • Beverages
    • Healthy Eating
    • Recipes
  • Your Home
    • Browse all »
    • At Home
    • Organic Farming & Gardening
    • Remodeling & Design
  • Family
    • Browse all »
    • Babies & Pregnancy
    • Family Activities
    • Pets
    • Protection & Safety

Breadcrumb Navigation

MNN.COM › MNN BLOGGERS
    x
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Bookmark and ShareShare
  • Earn Points
    What's this?
Motivational speaker likes the Nissan Leaf so much he's now a car salesman
Plug-In America Vice President Paul Scott is an evangelist for electric cars. Now he's going to be selling them on the floor of Santa Monica Nissan.
Wed, Sep 01 2010 at 11:12 AM
 3

Related Topics:

Electric Vehicles, Battery Technology, Nissan Leaf
Paul Scott plugs in a Nissan Leaf

CHARGING AHEAD: Paul Scott plugs in a Leaf in Japan. (Photo: Nissan)

 
Longtime electric vehicle advocate Paul Scott, vice president of California-based Plug-In America, likes the Nissan Leaf so much that … well, he decided to start selling them. Wanna buy an electric car? Paul has a deal for you.
 
It’s pretty unusual for nonprofit environmental guys to actually put their money where their mouth is. They’re more likely to bash corporations than to go to work for one. But Scott, who’s been a major electric vehicle advocate since taking delivery of a plug-in Toyota RAV4 in 2002 and was one of the leaders in trying to save the GM EV-1 from the crusher, is really sold on the Leaf, and Nissan’s mission in promoting it.
 
In June, Scott journeyed to Japan and met with Nissan’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn (see photo below). “Carlos is a hard-core money guy,” said Scott. “He figured out that electric cars are going to be the future, and so as the price of oil escalates, Nissan will have a giant head start on everyone else.”
 
After coming back, Scott started kicking around the idea of going to work for Nissan, and first thought of being a motivational speaker. “I can talk to 300 people, and by the end of the talk 90 percent of them will want to buy an electric car,” he said. “I’m good at motivating people.” Nissan didn’t have an opening for a motivational speaker, but he lives in Santa Monica, Calif., and Santa Monica Nissan is just down the street.
 
A meeting was arranged with the owner of the dealership, and they bonded. “I’ve never sold cars before, but I have sold solar and visual effects,” said Scott, who doubles as a salesman of photovoltaic systems for big residential retailer SolarCity. What are visual effects? I didn’t know, but I don’t live in L.A. — apparently, they’re the computer enhancements that movie companies use to make explosions look bigger.
 
Paul Scott and Carlos GhosnSo the Leaf will go on sale in December, and the company announced just this week that it is starting the “order specification” phase. People with $99 reservations can now choose their color and trim level. That means that Scott has to go through training so he can explain how all the little doodads, such as the electronic dashboard, work. He has to get a license to sell cars, too.
 
“I came to the conclusion that I wanted to personally help Nissan get the car into drivers’ hands,” Scott said on his blog, prompting a “Way to go, Paul!” comment from "Who Killed the Electric Car?" director Chris Paine. Felix Kramer of CalCars.org (the father of the plug-in hybrid) added, “You’ve turned that oft-criticized occupation, ‘salesman,’ into a badge of honor.”
 
Now Scott just needs people to buy Leafs from him so he meets his quota. “We will deliver all over Southern California,” he says hopefully. And if you score a Leaf, he knows how to hook you up with a SolarCity PV system so the whole thing will be zero emission. Way to go, Paul!

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

Previous Post
GM gets serious about recycling and its zero waste goal
Next Post
Film director Chris Paine: The electric car gets its revenge

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 3
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
Log in or
create an account
  • Sign in using this account:
anonymous
Randy Ross Moti... Oct 02 2010 at 4:08 AM

I do not think that all the articles will remain in the mind without missing a single word we read whichever. I think this article done a great job.What a best way to describe your view. Thanks for sharing with us. Really like your informative article.Hopefully we will get more interesting topic from you in future.

|
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Report This Post 
anonymous
Dipesn 8 Sep 21 2010 at 12:51 PM

Agree with the comment of hsr0601. All kinda speakers have good capability to do anything.

Motivational Speaker

|
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Report This Post 
anonymous
hsr0601 Sep 01 2010 at 12:34 PM

"The battery itself can be a great revenue source with selling electricity back to the grid even when it is unacceptable for a car.
"

|
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Report This Post 

EDITORS' PICKS

tease weird things

line

tease cellars

line

tease fishing

Advertisement

TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON

  1. Student science experiment finds plants won't grow near Wi-Fi router
  2. 15 famous people who mysteriously disappeared
  3. How to get a second crop of tomatoes -- for free
  4. 9 habits that may do more harm than good
  5. 10 false facts most people think are true
  6. Bras don't actually work, says French study
  7. 5 mind-bending facts about dreams
  8. 15 houseplants to improve indoor air quality
  9. 10 cats made famous by YouTube
  10. Food fraud: 10 counterfeit products we commonly consume
+ Add this to my site
From our sponsor
Green autocross shows off Mercedes F-CELL technology
Mercedes-Benz customers take the automaker's groundbreaking emission-free F-CELL car for a more...
Driving a Cleaner Tomorrow
Breakthrough traction system maintains safety on slippery roads
4MATIC all-wheel drive optimizes individual wheels enabling advanced handling and control as road more...
Driving a Cleaner Tomorrow
Zero-emissions F-CELL car a hit with green celebrities
Emitting nothing but water vapor as it cruises around the city on hydrogen power rather than fossil more...
Driving a Cleaner Tomorrow
From 60 to zero: Braking innovations boost performance
Adaptive Braking Technology from Mercedes-Benz uses sensors to predict emergency stops, allowing more...
Driving a Cleaner Tomorrow
NYC youth get 120 new coaches with Laureus USA program
Mercedes-Benz and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation team up to train and place coaches in more...
Driving a Cleaner Tomorrow

Mercedes-Benz USA on Facebook

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered

ABOUT Jim Motavalli

New York Times contributor blogs about green transportation.

More about Jim RSS feed

Recent Posts

  • Shopping is 45 percent of U.S. miles traveled, study finds
  • 5 of the best-looking cars ever
  • The Porsche 918 Spyder: An electrified bat out of hell
+ Add this to my site
Advertisement
Advertisement
Google Profile

Footer menu

  • Quick Links
    • Joy of Less
    • About Us
    • Advisory Board
    • Editors' Blog
    • Press
    • Privacy
    • Sitemap
    • Terms of Service
  • MNN Tools
    • Advice
    • Blogs
    • Day in History
    • Eco-glossary
    • Infographics
    • Lists
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Connect
    • The Nest
    • Contact Us
    • Mixed Greens
    • Newsletters
    • RSS
    • Social
    • TreeHugger
    • Mobile
  • Channels
    • Earth Matters
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Green Tech
    • Eco-Biz & Money
    • Your Home
    • Family
    • State Reports
  • Follow MNN
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
    • Google+
    • StumbleUpon

Copyright © 2013 MNN Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Website by GLICK INTERACTIVE | Powered by CIRRACORE

SPONSORS