Ford and Coca-Cola have teamed up to build a car made partly from the material used for the soda maker's plastic bottles, ABC reported.
The hybrid Ford Fusion Energi, which uses the same material for its interior as Coke uses to make plastic bottles, will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month.
Currently in development at Ford, the car's interior is made from polyethylene terephthalate. Coke constructs its bottles with PET made from PlantBottle Technology, which uses sustainable plants instead of petroleum.
Ford spokesman Todd Nissen said the carmaker was intrigued by the new technology.
"We actually announced an initiative that wasn't only with Coke but with Heinz, Nike and Procter & Gamble as well," he told ABC News. "Out of those talks came the idea that we could use Coke's technology and turn PET into a fabric."
PET is made when chemicals terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol react together, according to Cornell University professor Anil Netravali.
"Terephthalic acid isn't produced by plants," said Netravali, who works in the school's fiber science program, "but ethylene glycol is. That is the sustainable part to making PET."
The plant-based material was also used in the Ford car to make seat cushions and door panel inserts.
It could be used to make some of the hard plastic parts not usually seen by drivers, Nissen said. He seemed optimistic about the new material, which could eventually make it to the market.
"When you put something out there, it's for the purpose of getting people's opinions," Nissen said. "If we weren't serious about considering it, we wouldn't do it."
Featuring the latest concept cars and technology, the L.A. Auto Show will be held Nov. 22 to Dec. 1.
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