Much of the battery’s energy is recovered through regenerative braking. This means the main thing limiting range is drag. That’s why EVs typically have much more emphasis on being aerodynamic and are more efficient in cities. An ICE car has all of the energy dumped into heat in the brakes. But that’s ok because it’s easy to just make the tank bigger. That’s why ICE cars are more efficient on the highway where they never brake.

I doubt it’s torque delivery. Rubber compound and alignment make a big difference in tire life. Since EVs are much more limited by inefficiencies, I would bet it came with harder tires and a straighter alignment.

The single largest producer of micro plastics is car tires. The second largest is lint from synthetic clothing. I agree that it’s probably green washing but it’s still probably better than using leather.

Even if leather is a byproduct of meat production, it’s not given away. It’s sold. At best, leather is subsidizing the meat industry. Leather helps make animal suffering more profitable. Therefore it happens more.