The Petersen Automotive Museum in California has added a one-of-a-kind Tesla Model S Plaid as its newest exhibit for its innovative interior. For more than a decade now, Tesla has been spearheading the automotive industry’s imminent transition towards electrification with the aim to slow or even reverse global warming. While eliminating harmful emissions is essential in environment preservation, EV manufacturers like Tesla are also focusing on greater use of recyclable materials and seeking alternative methods of construction that are friendly to the environment. This includes moving away from traditional leather and replacing it with sustainable, animal-product-free alternatives. US-based leading material innovation company Von Holzhausen has debuted its new Banbū leather interior for the Tesla Model S. The plant-based leather interior is made from recycled bamboo and is described by the company as “buttery-soft like lambskin, scratch-resistant, stain-resistant, water-resistant, and lightweight.”
Vicki von Holzhausen, founder and CEO of von Holzhausen, has more than a decade and a half of experience working for some of the biggest car manufacturers, including General Motors, Mercedes Benz, and Audi. Banbū leather is not only completely animal free it has a low carbon footprint, is biodegradable, recycled, non-toxic, stain-resistant, water-resistant, scratch-resistant, and lightweight. All these benefits convinced Vicki that the sustainable material might be an effective alternative to traditional leather.
Von Holzhausen partnered with a California-based Tesla-specialist tuning shop called Unplugged Performance to build a bespoke Tesla Model S Plaid with Banbū leather. The one-of-a-kind EV will be part of an exhibition called “Inside Tesla: Supercharging the Electric Revolution,” which is being held at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Furthermore, the unique Tesla will be raffled off closer to the end of the exhibit and the proceeds will go to the museum.
