1. Peec focuses on repurposing retired vehicles. How do you integrate reclaimed materials into CMF design while maintaining a high-end user experience?
I believe great user experience is built on a delicate balance between trust and surprise. In CMF, trust comes from using materials that are recognized for their quality and perceived value. At the same time, users seek to be captivated and enchanted by the unexpected. Achieving this balance is fundamental to my approach.
Repurposing, however, introduces a unique set of challenges that goes beyond this conceptual dipole. It invites us to rethink the traditional design process—rather than beginning with an idea and selecting materials to match, we start with pre-existing materials, each with a history of transformation and use. This requires a shift from a purely conceptual approach to a more analytical one.
At Peec, we are creating a CMF strategy that focuses on evaluating each component individually to determine the best action—refurbishment, enhancement, or substitution—while ensuring that materials instill trust and delight in users.
2. Retrofitted vehicles may include older materials. How do you address wear, patina, or texture mismatches when working with aged surfaces in an EV conversion?
There are multiple strategies to manage aged surfaces, ranging from embracing the patina or simply restoring the material, to painting and wrapping to give it a new perception. The approach depends on several factors, including the condition of the component, the project's design vision, the sustainability goals we want to achieve, and of course, budget constraints. My goal, as a caring human, is to keep parts in use, exploring ways to make what I call “revived surfaces” interesting through re-texturing or re-colouring. However, that is not always possible due to both technical and consumer expectation constraints.
At Peec, we work across diverse segments, from commercial vehicles like buses and vans to private limited edition cars, allowing me to explore tailored CMF strategies for each vehicle.
3. What role do advanced coatings, bio-based adhesives, or self-healing surfaces play in ensuring longevity and aesthetic consistency in Peec’s EV transformations?
Coatings and adhesives are a big topic! They can be both a challenge and a solution. We are working hard with our partners, exploring the most appropriate application for each vehicle. A consideration I can point out at the moment is the idea of aligning the composition of coatings and adhesives with the material’s end-of-life cycle, can they be easily removed, repaired, or reprocessed by future users? Will it enhance durability while inadvertently complicating recyclability? Even if a solution reduces the overall carbon footprint, does it introduce unintended constraints on circularity?
Rather than selecting materials based on ambitious sustainability claims alone, I go through a list of considerations to question these factors and ensure that every decision aligns with a holistic circular approach. I believe this level of scrutiny should be an industry standard.
4.Do you see a shift in color psychology when designing interiors and exteriors for electric fleet vehicles, compared to conventional petrol vehicles?
At the moment, yes. Although EV design language is gradually merging with that of traditional vehicles as they become more mainstream and integrated into OEM portfolios, there is still a need to differentiate them. This is particularly true for fleet electrification, where visibility and distinction play a crucial role for users and fleet managers who want these investments to be seen.
This differentiation is often achieved through elements like front grille design, but also through material and color choices. Currently, the trend still leans toward a more organic aesthetic, desaturated, nature-inspired hues that move away from traditional automotive palettes. However, I believe this approach will evolve over time as EVs become the norm rather than the exception.
5.Your background includes working with wood waste. Do you see opportunities to integrate urban wood waste into CMF solutions for EV interiors?
I am impressed with this question! My past research explored integrating urban wood waste into the design supply chain, and I even launched a jewelry brand utilizing wood offcuts. While using small-scale wood waste is feasible in high-end, bespoke projects, incorporating urban wood into automotive interiors presents significant challenges. The inconsistency and unpredictability of reclaimed urban wood make it difficult to apply within the automotive industry, where material uniformity and performance reliability are paramount.
6.Peec Mobility's partnerships—such as with BEEAH Group and SRTIP in Sharjah—focus on large-scale fleet conversions while promoting circular economy principles. How do these collaborations influence CMF material choices?
These collaborations come with stringent technical requirements, particularly given the environmental conditions of the MENA region. Additionally, our focus on commercial fleet vehicles- many of which cover up to 600 km per day- introduces durability constraints that significantly impact CMF selection. However, rather than limiting us, these constraints serve as a framework that drives creativity, pushing us to develop innovative material solutions in collaboration with our partners. This aspect of co-creation is one of my favourite parts of my job!
7.Given that EV efficiency can be affected by climate control, do you explore phase-change materials or thermo-regulating fabrics in your CMF strategies?
Thermal regulation is a key consideration not only in transportation and EV CMF design but also in interiors and fashion. Climate change is impacting all areas of life, making thermal management an increasingly critical design challenge. My exploration of cooling strategies extends beyond Peec to current research projects with Istituto Marangoni Dubai, a design university committed to advancing the local design landscape. The UAE provides a particularly compelling context for this study, as local communities have mastered passive cooling strategies over centuries, an approach that is now imperative for contemporary design solutions. In this regard, I firmly believe that the West has much to learn from the thermal expertise developed in the Middle East and tropical regions.
8.In a circular mobility model, in your opinion should CMF prioritize biodegradable materials or ultradurable, endlessly recyclable ones?
I firmly believe that products and materials must be understood as interconnected systems —they cannot be analyzed in isolation, detached from the factors that determine their processability. That being said, there is no universal solution; the effectiveness of recyclability or biodegradability depends entirely on the infrastructure available to process materials at their end-of-life stage.
Let me try to explain: designing for recyclability is meaningless if no facility will process those materials. Conversely, incorporating partially biodegradable materials as a sustainability measure can be counterproductive if they cannot be effectively separated or reprocessed. A truly circular design approach requires considering the full lifecycle of a product, not just in theory but in practice. This means moving beyond a standardized “by the book” methodology and spending time on the ground, understanding real-world processes alongside the people who handle materials daily. Circularity is not just about a material’s property; it is about how materials flow within an ecosystem of logistics, partnerships, and industrial capabilities. Over the past 1.5 years, I’ve learned from engaging with the manufacturing process, visiting shop floors, and witnessing firsthand how materials move through the system. If there’s one piece of advice I can give, it’s to step away from the computer and into the reality of production, because circularity happens there.
9.Do you see bio-fabricated materials (e.g., mycelium composites, algae-based plastics) becoming viable for large-scale fleet applications?
I do! There was a time when large-scale adoption of recycled plastics or bioplastics seemed unrealistic, yet we’ve seen significant advancements in those areas. In terms of bio-based technologies, I see brands such as Kelsun and Flexsea doing beautiful material innovation for the industry, with great potential for scale, as well as Super NFW and Algae Ink— and it gets me really excited!
