Tesla is developing a new in-car fabric that's both soft and durable, according to a recent patent.
The electric vehicle company mentions in the patent that typically car seats are unable to use soft fabrics because they can't withstand people constantly sliding in and out of them, according to Electrek's reporting. Therefore vehicle manufacturers are forced to use tougher fabrics that aren't necessarily soft to the touch.
To overcome this problem the automaker is looking to use a multi-layer fabric. The top layer would be a softer fabric and the bottom, a load-bearing material that would be made of something more substantial.
When someone sits on this new fabric system the softer layer compresses to become flush with the tough bottom layer to make the fabric more durable
It's unclear exactly how well this technique works and if the softer top layer would actually last longer. Another interesting question is if this new hybrid fabric would be cheaper to implement compared to the synthetic leather that the company currently uses.
Not all patents come to fruition so it's possible that Tesla may skip out on this idea if it becomes too difficult or does not work well.
Image source: Eletrek
Source: Eletrek
