Australian researchers believe cars may be made from hemp - the cannabis plant - in the next decade.
A team at the University of New South Wales is working to create a plant-fibre based material to make biodegradable cars to beat the growing problem of getting rid of rusting car bodies.
Associate Prof Alan Crosky of the School of Material Science and Engineering said hemp looked more viable than coconuts or banana trees.
Mr Crosky said that with the increasing cost of getting rid of cars the development of an environmentally-friendly material was now a viable option. The material was like fibreglass, but a natural product.
"Disposal of old cars is a growing problem, especially in Europe," he said today. "It is only a matter of time before the expense of the disposal becomes the owner's responsibility and the consumer is forced to pay the full life-cycle costs of their car."
Mr Crosky said a plant-fibre based material would be renewable and biodegradable.
"It would also be light, which would be a huge advantage in environmentally friendly battery-powered cars," he said.
"In theory, a plant-based material should absorb more of impact than metal but we want to check the hemp to see if any weaknesses develop as it grows," Mr Crosky said.
Plant-based materials were already being used for building construction in the developing world and hemp is widely used in making textiles and rope.
The hemp to be used in car construction would contain only minute amounts of the narcotic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
"It's renewable, you don't have to put as much energy into making it, and best of all, burning it doesn't get off anymore carbon dioxide than it absorbed during growing, what we call CO2 neutral," Mr Crosky said. And although research was at an early stage he predicted it would not be long before hemp cars were on the roads.
"It might take a decade," he said.
AFP