Tesla Model Y Release, Features: 'Vegan' EV Cars Expected Next Year

All Tesla cars are generally environment-friendly thanks to their batteries that practically don’t leave any harmful residue in the air and do not contribute to the growing problem of noise pollution.

Now, Telsa CEO Elon Musk’s company is going the extra mile by making some of its top models fully vegan starting next year. No, the Tesla vehicles won’t be running on plant power, but their interior features are expected to use only 100 percent plant-based materials.

According to a report, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y will both be getting an upgrade by switching their leather interiors for plant-based alternatives. Back in 2018, Tesla swapped its leather seats to what is labeled as “Tesla Synthetic Material.” However, the steering wheel cover still used animal sourced material.

The switch is part of the EV company’s “cruelty-free” options offered to customers. In fact, a vegan steering wheel is available as a custom option but starting next year it would be a standard feature for the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

The move comes in the heels of a request from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA to eliminate leather from all Tesla vehicles. This happened during the latest shareholder meeting of the EV brand.

When PETA asked the Tesla chief engineer if he can promise that all Tesla models would be free from any animal-based materials, he said: “Uh I’m not, there might be the tiniest bit left, I’m not sure, but Model Y, Model 3, I think I’m confident about that. We have a lot of things to solve but I think for sure the Model Y and the Model 3 soon and you can also special order for the S and X.”

Musk also explained why the option hasn’t been applied sooner in earlier Tesla vehicles. According to the CEO, Tesla still had to come up with a design that’s capable of controlling the heat emanating from the vehicle.

Steering wheels often heat up and synthetic materials usually cause the hands to excrete extra oils that could affect the material in the long run and damage it.