Nowadays, more and more electric cars have a completely vegan interior. These vehicles are becoming even more environmentally friendly.
With the climate crisis and growing environmental awareness, the electric car is becoming more and more interesting. With this electrification, the materials used for the rest of the vehicle are also important. And a new trend is emerging : vegan leather ! As elegant as animal leather, it is an alternative chosen by several manufacturers. Quality is maintained, but this alternative choice drastically reduces the vehicle’s environmental impact.
As a reminder, veganism is a lifestyle and a way of consumption, against animal abuse. This includes food, clothing, objects, cars, etc. Vegan people live in an environment without any animal cruelty.
And it was the American manufacturer, Ford, who was one of the first manufacturers to market a car with a 100% vegan interior. This interior is available on the Mustang Mach-E. This earned them a Peta* distinction.
Peta*, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a non-profit organization that advocates for animal rights.
The Polestar 2 and the Tesla Model 3, had also certified to have interiors made without animal exploitation. For Tesla in particular, the brand explains using only synthetic leather.
For the French, Renault with the Zoe use fabrics that they have created in advance safety belts and recycled plastic bottles.
Vegan Interior : reduction of polluting emissions
In addition to animal cruelty, the creation and production of hides and other tissues from animals is extremely polluting. The German brand BMW announced the launch of vegan interiors following several studies. He even revealed that by stopping the production of animal leather interiors, this will reduce by 85% the polluting emissions produced by this part of the vehicle.
An American and Japanese company, Ultrafabrics, has been producing for 20 years several materials that replace animal leather. Today the brand tries to move away from leather as much as possible, previously it was more a substitute. Director Nicole Meier explains, “We never try to compare ourselves to leather (…) People are much more educated about materials, and our future products are much more technical.”
She adds, “Our customers are trendsetters, and they want to offer the best and newest, a material that doesn’t look like leather, but is cool to touch, doesn’t crack or peel, keeps cool and absorbs body heat. I think these technical aspects speak to people.”
Their products are all 50% made of sustainable or recycled materials. In terms of manufacturing, their products emit 4.6 kilos of CO2 per square meter. Leather is 8 kilos or more, in comparison.
If you are trying to test a vehicle with vegan or more eco-friendly leather. Movo Car Rental, an electric car rental agency, offers several models such as the Tesla Model 3 and the Tesla Model Y.
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