Tesla | A fully vegan car?

I’ve recently had the pleasure of working with Tesla.

This post is about my experience driving in a brand new Tesla model X100D car. 

Why am I writing about a car I hear you ask? Well, it will all become clear the more you read, so keep reading!

Just to let you know, all thoughts are my own. I have not been paid to write this post, I genuinely love Tesla and wanted to share my thoughts/review with you all!

I have a few passions in my life, vegan baking (of course), food photography, music and would you believe… cars!

I wanted to take you back a little. I have been into cars since I was young. My dad is a petrol head and got me into them at a very young age. 

 A dream of mine when I was younger, was to own a ‘supercar’ and it’s still one of my dreams to this day!

Recently, I’ve learned to drive and have been thinking about what car would be best for me. I bought a mint green Fiat 500 which I love (mainly because it’s the same colour as my KitchenAid- haha), but it runs on petrol and I recently learnt that it also has a lot of animal ingredients in its car parts. I am now thinking about changing it to a vegan alternative which is also better for the planet.

Veganism isn’t just about avoiding a leather interior of a car, animal fats are used in the production of steel and rubber. It’s almost impossible to avoid animal products when you’re searching for a car that suits your vegan lifestyle.

I found out recently that you can change your car tyres to Michelin brand as they only use plant-based products, so that’s a massive thumbs up from me! Very excited to hear that!

But overall the car industry needs to go further. It needs to address animal cruelty, carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels in electric cars. 

But let’s consider electric cars. 

Electric is certainly the way forward as it addresses carbons in the atmosphere that are directly related to global warming and so is the best choice environmentally. When you think about car manufacturing you also have to include carbon emissions involved in making the cars alongside fuelling and running them!

 I heard about the company Tesla, and did a little research and found out they offer great quality cars and incorporate vegan leather into their car interiors, plus they’re also electric- win-win. 

I decided to contact the company and was kindly offered one of their cars to try out for a few days, how crazy is that?!

I really want to let you know a little bit about the company and their ethos.

The company was founded by a couple of engineers who wanted to create a fast electric supercar. They also wanted it to be sustainable and available to the mass market. 

Thankyou Tesla for thinking of the planet and animal welfare.

In 2016 Tesla’s model X, a seven-seater SUV (sport utility vehicle) and the one I test drove, went non-leather and vegan! PETA described it as a victory and congratulated Tesla for offering all vegan leather.

PETA also informed Tesla that going vegan saves 4-5 animals per car! Isn’t that crazy and hard to take in?

PETA states:

“Turning animal skins into leather requires 130 different chemicals, including cyanide, and people who work in and live near tanneries suffer from exposure to these toxic chemicals. Leather production also squanders valuable natural resources, including up to 15,000 gallons of water per ton of hides, and produces massive amounts of the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. And, of course, cows killed for leather endure branding, tail-docking, dehorning, and castration—all without painkillers.”

Not only unnecessary lives taken for material in a car, but on top of that numerous toxic chemicals go into making a leather car interior. 

People need to be more aware of what goes into making their leather “luxury” cars they dream about. If they knew, I’m sure they would think twice about owning one.

Tesla has created beautifully designed cars which are vegan, eco-friendly, with excellent performance and a massive wow factor.

The car I was given to test out was the six-seater model X 100D with a metallic blue finish and a gorgeous white vegan-leather interior. It is stunning, as soon as I got in it I just said wow- haha!

 This model has carbon fibre decor, 22″ onyx black turbine wheels and it is equipped with an enhanced autopilot. You did read this right, it has the hardware to actually drive itself- crazy!

It’s the fastest SUV car in history…and I can 100% vouch for that, it’s ridiculously fast! 

It feels like you’re on a rollercoaster or taking off in a rocket. It pins you back in your seat, I love it!

It has the biggest display screen I have ever seen in a car with masses of features including gaming, Spotify and navigation. It’s just like a big Ipad. It’s easy to use and is very responsive. One of the best touchscreens in a car I’ve used!

The car is protected by an air filter system, it has cameras all around and will make sure you drive safely as it has a collision avoidance feature (perfect for me)- haha! There is so much to this car. Honestly, it’s out of this world.

One major asset to this gorgeous car has to be the eye catcher which is the rear falcon wing doors. They remind me of the Delorean car from ‘Back to the Future’, which who wouldn’t love that?!

Pro’s from me:

-The vegan leather interior

-Eco-friendly

-Comfort

-Minimal road noise

-The overall look of the car/ design

-The falcon wing doors

-The drivability and speed

-300-mile charge

-Technology 

-Stereo system

+ Loads more ……

Con’s from me:

-Needs grip handles for passengers in the back for when the car takes off at speed

-Price! I would love to own one of these amazing cars, but the price may put a lot of people off

-More superchargers are needed.

The good news is that Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has disclosed plans to develop an affordable electric car within three years. Their view is to get everyone driving electric eco-friendly cars.

 I will certainly be interested in buying one of these when they are available.

I’ve had a lot of messages/DM’s over on my Instagram after sharing photos and videos of the Tesla about issues of sustainability. If I can clarify that Tesla are trying to get all their supercharging stations powered by solar energy and the car battery life is getting more durable which is brilliant news!

…

Reviews

I took some friends and neighbours out in the car and here are some of their comments.

Steve (My dad, the driver)

“Car was spacious, drivability and handling was great in all weather conditions. A brilliant, multipurpose car with an added bonus of environmental benefits. Vegan leather interior was first class. Control panel takes some getting used to as it’s very futuristic. I would love to own one.”

Den, a friend.

“The car looked like an ordinary 4×4, until the doors opened. Fantastic interior, very spacious. The power from an all-electric vehicle was tremendous. Coupled with the large display panel the car was brilliant. From an eco point of view, the car was excellent. Would I have one? Yes. But if the price wasn’t as high.”

Lynne, a friend.

“Electric/eco is the transport of the future available now.

I was very impressed by the comfort, interior, speed, power and technology of the car. I now want one”

Carl, a friend.

“An absolute dream. The car’s amazing, packed full of gadgets and entertainment.

It’s very quiet, very comfortable and unbelievably quick for an electric car. Put a smile on my face, big thumbs up from me”

…

My overall thoughts on Tesla…I want one- haha!

I have been in love with their cars since their first release, and now having spent time in the X, it’s given me a new appreciation for technology and the eco sides of things.

Not to mention the falcon doors are a real talking point which is so much fun.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Tesla & Hilal for loaning me one of your amazing cars. I was blown away by the experience and I support the work you are doing for the environment and animal welfare.

To learn more about Tesla’s energy, click here.

Discover the whole Tesla range here

https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/

Discover Tesla on social media

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/teslamotors/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/Tesla

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Holly Jade