Plant-based leather alternative, made in USA

[Laura Batchelor]

Wondering if this petroleum-free, plant sourced leather alternative made in the USA may be of interest for interiors and seats in the Aptera going forward. Not sure they can switch in the near term, but it would be attractive to many buyers, myself included.

PEORIA, ILL. (PRWEB) JULY 13, 2021 “…synthetic leather materials are estimated to be the largest segment of the automotive upholstery market. With its durability, quality, and tunability, Natural Fiber Welding, Inc. (NFW) and the company’s patented material MIRUM, are well-suited to displace both animal leather and synthetic leather alternatives with materials that are plastic-free and high-performance.”

“… Leveraging the strength and diversity of virgin and recycled plant matter, such as coconut husk, rice hulls, and cork, MIRUM requires no plastic binders or coating. The material is durable and luxurious, making it a well-suited leather alternative.

Through their partnerships, including BMW i Venture’s recent investment, NFW continues to disprove the assumption that in order to perform, textiles in industries like the automotive industry must include petroleum-based products. …”

sources: https://www.prweb.com/releases/natural_fiber_welding_raises_15m_to_spur_growth_in_automotive_and_textile_markets/prweb18066466.htm

https://mirum.naturalfiberwelding.com/

[seth feldman]

I don’t have the intention of becoming vegan, and believe every part of slaughtered animals should be used (I doubt the second part would change if I was vegan). I’d prefer to see some focus on more environmentally friendly ways to process animal hides, and using plants if there isn’t enough supplies to meet demand. From the interiors I’ve seen it looks like they’re using fiber materials which should be lighter, and more breathable especially with how thin the seats seem to be. Most of all I’d rather see them get a single option into production, and reliable cars out of the door before worrying about the leather/luxury options…

[John Malcom]

I think a good perspective at this point in development/testing/production. We need to go with original design for first production iteration. I believe they have selected materials for the interior that are environmentally friendly if not vegan

[Graham Smith]

I think not using leather and ideally using recycled materials will be important and is expected by many customers. Most mainstream car vendors are already offering ‘vegan leather’ i.e. BMW, Audi, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz etc.

[Riley ________________________________]

Not a fan of vegan leather, had a section of a Tesla seat dissolve after a drop of hand sanitizer got on it. Whatever aptera picks I will immediately put a seat cover on it so doesn’t really matter in my case.

[Curtis Cibinel]

Sheep skins are awesome for seat covers; even most vegans don’t have a problem with it in my experience. Never too cold or too hot and easy to machine wash. Only downside is it looks dated.

[kerbe2705]

…and they reek when the humidity is high…

[Joshua Rosen]

I’d prefer to have real leather. It’s a durable natural material which would go to waste if it wasn’t widely used.

[Lord Chad Dunham]

I recently watched a video from Sandy Monro where he stated that. He also said true leather doesn’t have the heat transfer like everyone thinks. It’s the faux leather and vinyls that get super hot or cold.

[Laura Batchelor]

I’m sure that they won’t be able to change vendors for the immediate production, but thought it should be considered for future production primarily because it’s made in the USA and there are a lot of customers who would prefer it for ethical reasons. Leather seats are better than cloth IMO, but we keep seat covers on our 2002 F150 so they don’t get stained or ripped from use. I would definitely go for a plant-based substitute if it is durable and comfortable. Part of the reason I’m getting the Aptera is so I can honestly say I’m reducing my personal carbon footprint by (hopefully) never using gas or electricity that uses fossil fuels again, so that’s just another little step forward. Well, that plus it makes me smile to see think about tooling around in a zippy spaceship car that smiles instead of a clunky box that looks like a grumpy sneaker…

[Curtis Cibinel]

Here is a good video on some tasty mango leather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcieZYwyEiA

PS: It doesnt look like the seats are leather so any concern with hot/cold is likely a non-issue. Its for the console and interior.

[John Malcom]

Interesting find! You always have good stuff when you post.