Tesla backs further away from using leather
Models S and X have more vegan-friendly seats, company says
Tesla’s electric cars are known for being environmentally-friendly, and they just got a little more vegan-friendly.
The automaker this week quietly upgraded all of its premium interior options to be completely leather-free.
While the company hasn’t made an official announcement, a Tesla spokesperson confirmed the change, saying the company now only sells its premium seating option, which is a non-animal seating material designed specifically for Tesla.
Cars still come with leather steering wheels, but leather-free options are available upon request, according to a blog post from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
No official announcements have been made about the interior of the new Model 3, and the representative from Tesla could only confirm this transition for the Model S and Model X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, however, appeared to confirm on Twitter that vegan seating would be an option for the Model 3.
PETA, one of Tesla’s shareholders, applauded the move in a blog post Monday.
Tesla has always offered standard cloth seating, which is a vegan option, but PETA began pressuring the automaker at a 2015 stockholder’s meeting to drop leather seats entirely by 2019. Although Tesla stockholders voted against that proposition, the following year Tesla rolled out its first synthetic leather premium-seating option in “Ultra White” for the Model X crossover SUV.
Anne Brainard, PETA’s Director of Corporate Affairs, noted that other luxury car companies such as BMW and MercedesBenz have also begun offering faux-leather seating options.
Despite this, Brainard said dozens of major automakers are still supplied by cattle ranches that subject animals to horrific abuse, citing a 2016 PETA investigation.
“PETA will continue to urge all companies to follow Tesla’s lead,” Brainard said.