Cars of the future: Could fruit be the new plastic?

According to a report from CNN.com, scientists in Brazil say they have discovered a way to incorporate fruit fibers into strong, lightweight plastics to be used for car parts. Their research indicates that plastics made from the fibers of fruits like bananas and pineapples are 30 percent lighter and three to four times stronger.

If true, then cars of the future would be stronger and more fuel efficient, making it easier for manufacturers in the U.S. to meet the demand for higher fleet-wide CAFE standards (or corporate average fuel economy) and EPA regulations.

Researchers in the U.K. have also been studying the use of fruit in plastics for cars. A recent Metro article stated that while coconuts and pineapples are making their way into bumpers and dashboards, it won’t be long before the fruity fibers hit showrooms in car exteriors.

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