Synthetic leather (vegan interiors) are animal cruelty-free. They are *probably* less polluting and wasteful than the meat industry that leather comes from. They are also usually more durable than leather.
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I'm really interested in the reverse of this - I'd love to see a variant of AP where the Model 3 could autonomously follow a motor home.
"Follow Me mode - see that RV in front of you? Follow it at 2 car lengths, and mimic whatever the brake lights and turn signals do."
Still probably would need safety chains, but would save a lot of equipment and headaches.
Thanks for doing that, very nice summary of all the tidbits of info Elon dropped over the weekend.
omgwtfbyobbq
Active Member
It really depends on the pleatherette, but the wife's Prius has softex, which is really durable, cooler/warmer than leather, and way easier to clean than cloth. If the 3 has something similar, I'd be all over than.
Big Thank You to everyone tirelessly compiling bits of information about Model 3 (too bad there's no thumbs up icon!).
After everything I've read and saw so far I'm going to stop complaining about trunk and dashboard... for now
Will wait until part 2. And will keep my March 31st reservation
After everything I've read and saw so far I'm going to stop complaining about trunk and dashboard... for now
Will wait until part 2. And will keep my March 31st reservation 
dturkes
Member
Not really a tweet but I also heard that those living closest to the factory will also be receiving their order first so that they can be the guinea pigs for glitches and fixes etc. I'm all for the concept but I'm still worried about the potential ramp up. They definitely have the capacity, but acquiring the parts, materials, workers, partners, etc will still take a significant amount of time.
deonb
Active Member
It actually was a tweet:
"Elon Musk
@MICHAELSD01 @TechGrlTweeter Won't happen. Reason initial cars are delivered close to factory is to have rapid turnaround on early issues."
The question is; when will people get their cars? And will people's patience run out?
Tesla have showed they can deliver, just not on time.
Yet all they have to do is deliver 1 model 3 in 2017...
Josh the German
Member
Our patience won´t run out. We are waiting for such a car since we´ve got our driving licences in the early eighties ...
Regards from Germany
Josh
3s-a-charm
Active Member
I love how you can change the name of a product from "leatherette" to "vegan interior" and instantly change the appeal. In BMW the leatherette was always a cheaper but lesser desired option even though it was quite good (I had it in my first new Bimmer). But vegan - way to play off the green-theme and make fake leather appealing again. I would consider vegan if only to get the white I want.
AZ Desert Driver
Rare combination
I have avoided Sedans because of difficulty getting my tall frame in. SUV were comfortable. I sure hope this 6'5" target is real. Is there any prototype riders that could confirm? There are two sides of this. My issue is entry. Once in, I'm comfortable driving or riding. Getting in is a bitch and head knocking /back twisting - though brief, still hurts.
Leather is side product of meat industry. Should we throw it away and replace with oil based product?
Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
Some leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. However, that suggests that it doesn't play an important role in the economics of raising beef. If leather as a product provides 10% of the value of the animal, then it subsidizes the price of the meat on the shelf. Lower priced meat generally means more consumers.. etc. It's not so simple as just not throwing something away.
The same argument could be made for the synthetics - they're a byproduct of the petroleum industry.
I don't think either of these simplifications are fair representations of reality.
I'm a light meat eater, though I eat very little beef. Beef has the largest greenhouse gas footprint of all of the industrial meat by a large multiple (though none of it is very good). If purchasing leather means adding into the economy of beef, I'll vote with my wallet and choose another substitute. There are likely ethical arguments for doing the same. But again, it's probably very difficult to vet out the reality and compare them properly head-to-head.
BluestarE3
Active Member
My previous reply upthread wasn't meant to take sides on the economics/ethics/environmental impact argument of whether animal byproducts or a synthetic substitute should be used for car seats (there are already several threads dedicated to discussing this subject). Personally, I prefer fabric seats because they are comfortable in hot or cold, I don't slide around in them, are easy to care for, and durable. And, in the context of this discussion, they are also a "vegan" option without being declaratively so. To me, faux leather is like faux meat: I love vegetables and grains as they are, so I don't need or want them to pretend to be meat in appearance or texture.
