Hyundai and JLR are testing Uncaged’s faux leather, which mimics the look, feel, and scent of cowhide
- Hyundai partners with Uncaged Innovations to develop plant-based leather for car interiors.
- The material reportedly feels and smells like real leather while cutting emissions by 95%.
- It could lower costs, reduce waste, and even offer customizable scents for automakers.
SofTex, SensaTec, Nuluxe, V-Tex, StarTex, MB-Tex. These are just a few of the names that automakers use for upholstery that imitates leather. This booming category of upholstery alternatives keeps growing, and now Hyundai believes it may have found a standout contender. The company is working with a startup called Uncaged Innovations, which has developed a faux leather that reportedly doesn’t just look like the real thing—it feels and even smells like it too.
More: For $250, Make Your Tesla Feel More Like A Launch Series
Unlike most leather alternatives, which are made with plastics derived from fossil fuels, Uncaged’s material is mostly plant-based. The startup uses wheat, soy, and corn proteins to mimic the fibrous structure of animal hides, and the result sounds promising. So promising that even Jaguar Land Rover is interested, too.
Plant-Based with a Lighter Footprint
Uncaged’s carbon footprint is reportedly 95 percent lower than traditional leather, and it’s working with Hyundai’s Cradle division to make it durable enough for long-term automotive use. That’s the key hurdle though because automotive materials suffer more abuse than a handbag or watch strap.
“Leather is not just leather,” co-founder and CEO Stephanie Downs told TechCrunch. “There’s literally a thousand types of leather: different animals, different thicknesses, different ways that they tan it. We had to develop something that could be really easily customizable.” Evidently, heat resistance in particular is proving to be the biggest test.
“One of the automotive companies wants us to be at 95°C for 500 hours. And we’ve already, in our first round of experiments, we achieved 85°C and made it through that for 500 hours,” Downs said. Clearly, the technology is getting close to being viable for this purpose. What’s interesting is that it goes beyond simple durability. Automakers are evidently asking Uncaged to create ‘signature scents’ for the upholstery they want.
Less Waste, Lower Costs
The benefits don’t stop there either. Genuine leather interiors can take anywhere from two to 14 cowhides. Thanks to things like bug bites, scars, or other blemishes, large portions of the hides are wasted.
Uncaged’s plant-based product is made in sheets so it’s consistent and waste is minimized. Subsequently, costs are lower too. Small orders currently cost less than $10 per square foot. Put another way, automakers might soon sell you a car with fake leather that’s even better than the real thing.
