Skip to main content

Tesla goes vegan with synthetic leather interiors for its Model X SUV

For the ultimate in green car technology, it’s not enough to simply swear off fossil fuels. Instead, the entire vehicle has to be vegan as well. The car of the future, as imagined by the always innovative Tesla, is now being offered with an “all vegan” interior for its Model X SUV, which features an artificial leather that would adorn the seats, steering wheel, and gear shift. Known as “Ultra White,” it’s the latest in Tesla’s push to become the most environmentally friendly automobile maker in the industry, and it looks as though that goal is being fast realized.

While the “Ultra White” option isn’t the first vegan alternative Tesla has put forth, its initial solution manifested itself in a cloth interior, which many noted seemed a bit unworthy of its $100,000 price tag. So to offer a more price- and luxury-appropriate measure, Tesla CEO Elon Musk teamed up with animal rights group PETA to develop the new synthetic leather.

Recommended Videos

But it’s not just Tesla that’s going green — indeed, the car industry at large has taken its reputation of being a major global polluter very seriously, and has made efforts both in terms of emissions and interiors when it comes to environmental friendliness. Already, luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Ferrari have faux leather options, and other companies like Volvo and Ford have also marketed their use of organic materials such as soy foam for use within car seats.

“We find that customers enjoy both leather and non-leather options for their Teslas,” Khobi Brooklyn, a company spokeswoman, said in an email to the New York Times. “We are committed to giving customers the ability to build the Tesla that meets their needs and lifestyle choices.”

And as a company that is known for its progressive thinking, it comes as no surprise that veganism is now another box Tesla can check off.

“Tesla revolutionized the electric car,” Anne Brainard, senior corporate liaison and manager of corporate affairs at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, told the Times, “and now it’s redefined luxury interiors by using these vegan materials, which are both animal- and environmentally friendly.” So if you’ve got $80,000 to spend on a new car, now you have the option of making it a vegan one.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Tesla recalls nearly 10,000 Model X and Model Y vehicles
tesla driver selection process model x crashes 1200x0

Tesla is recalling nearly 10,000 of its Model X and Model Y vehicles to sort out a couple of safety issues.
Model X
Announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this week, the recall includes 9,136 Model X cars from model year 2016. It concerns a potential issue with two external trims, or appliques, which could come away from the top of the car as it’s in motion, risking the safety of the occupants of a vehicle following close behind.

As per the NHTSA: “The Model X is equipped with a cosmetic applique at the front of the roof just behind the windshield, known as the front applique, as well as an applique at the center of the roof in between the upper falcon door roof glass, known as the spine applique. Both appliques are adhered to the vehicle using urethane. If the applique-to-urethane interface lacks primer, then, over time, the adhesion may weaken, causing the applique to separate from the vehicle.”

Read more
Canadian cop chased a Tesla Model S that appeared to have no one in it
tesla model s 300 mile range 2016

 

Highway police in the Canadian province of Alberta chased a Tesla Model S that appeared to have no one in it. But when they eventually got to look inside, they saw two occupants apparently fast asleep, with the seats fully reclined.

Read more
World’s fastest electric boat races against a Tesla Model 3
Candela 1

How do you show off the speed of the world’s fastest electric boat? Race it against a Tesla Model 3, of course. That’s the stunt that the makers of the Candela Seven, a next-gen hydrofoil with a top speed of 30 knots, recently participated in for a German TV show called Auto-mobil.

“Candela Seven is the first electric boat that matches fossil fuel competitors when it comes to range and speed,” public relations manager Mikael Mahlberg told Digital Trends. “In all other areas, such as seakeeping in rough waves, cost of driving, and maintenance burden, we’re far superior. It’s simply a game-changer for marine transport.”

Read more