Musk said in 2016 that Model 3 can use a vegan interior. In mid-2017, all Tesla seats can be made of synthetic materials. Despite this, the rest of the car still carries the actual animal leather: the steering wheel.

Recently, at the request of PETA, Musk said at the 2019 Tesla shareholders meeting that the last leather remains of Model 3 and the upcoming Model Y will be removed, including new synthetic leather-wrapped steering gear wheels. One disadvantage of non-leather steering wheels is that there are currently no heating elements. Musk said that another big challenge in making reliable non-leather wheels is long-term wear.

Musk said: "The steering wheel must actually be very strong." "Our hands are covered with grease, sweat and things. If you don't apply the correct surface treatment on the material, it will be very annoying. Solving the seat problem is better than solving the steering wheel. The problem is much easier. ".

Musk said that the new steering wheel will be released soon. Musk also confirmed that Model Y will not contain all animal products, and that other Tesla electric cars in the future will likely not be manufactured using animal products. He cannot guarantee PETA that this will be achieved at the next shareholder meeting, which means we can look forward to a new round of battle this year.