In Tesla’s latest shareholder meeting, CEO Elon Musk promised to take a more “vegan” approach with the company’s upcoming Model 3. And he made good on that promise by unveiling a brand-new Model 3 with leather-free interiors.
Animal activists have been pushing the concept of releasing fully “vegan” Teslas since 2015, said a report by Forbes. A member from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) actually got Musk to promise that the Model 3 and the upcoming Model Y would be completely free of animal hide by 2020.
While Tesla has been covering the interiors of their Model 3, Model X and Model S vehicles in what it calls “premium” synthetic upholstery for two years now, Musk mentioned that it was a challenge to cover the heated steering wheel in anything other than pure leather.
“I believe we were close to having a non-heated steering wheel, that’s not leather,” Musk said at the June meeting. “There are some challenges when heat the non-leather material and also how well it wears over time.”
Tesla didn’t reveal any information about the larger Model S, Model Y, or the upcoming Roadster will go through this same treatment or not.
Leather interiors have always allowed car owners to bring a more premium feel to the cabin. So how will Tesla owners feel about their Model 3 being covered in a synthetic material? Well, they most probably should be okay with it. Tesla owners are environmentally-conscious anyway. They drive a Tesla to reduce the strain the planet, so a majority of Tesla owners should not find it hard to understand and accept the company’s new outlook on going vegan.