High-tech plant-based material company von Holzhausen and Unplugged Performance, a Tesla-specialist tuning shop, are partnering on a unique Tesla Plaid S tune-up that will showcase at the Petersen Automotive Museum in California.
Both companies work in Los Angeles, upgrading Teslas vehicles to improve the EV’s performance and features. von Holzhausen replaces the leather and plastic materials used for the car’s interiors with its negative carbon fabrics made from plants.
For this Tesla Plaid S tune-up, the seating upholstery and other interior elements will feature von Holzhausen’s Banbū Leather in “an exclusive rich red shade called Serrano, inspired by speed with a classic automotive appeal.”
Luxury without compromise
Crafted from bamboo, von Holzhausen’s animal and petroleum-free leather shifts the automotive industry’s favoritism for animal leather to guilt-free, sustainable luxury interiors.
von Holzhausen’s founder & CEO, Vicki von Holzhausen, claims her team develops innovations that lay the groundwork for “a massive shift in auto and beyond.” Many companies are developing lightweight materials sourced without animal products, from mushrooms to bamboo, cactus, and vegan silk. In May this year, Nanollose and von Holzhausen signed a collaboration agreement to develop commercially viable biodegradable vegan leather made with microbial cellulose.
To date, von Holzhausen produces three fabrics with different features, but its proprietary bamboo leather is the only plastic-free and with automotive-level resilience and performance characteristics. The company describes its Banbū Leather as buttery-soft, scratch-resistant, stain-resistant, water-resistant, and lightweight.
Bamboo sustainability
According to the company, its vegan bamboo leather has a fraction of traditional leather’s environmental impact. It’s a rapidly renewable resource, with 33% less global warming potential than animal leather and significant water savings (16,307 gallons per car). It is biodegradable, decomposing in a landfill in less than 250 days, while standard PU takes centuries.
“We are a team of material innovators on a mission to replace all the animal leather in the world with non-animal leather. We believe in the power of plants and in transforming discarded materials into remarkable ones,” states von Holzhausen on the company’s website.
The Tesla Plaid will showcase at the exhibition, “Inside Tesla: Supercharging the Electric Revolution,” at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA, California, from November 20 to October 22, 2023.
