Toyota is planning for a greener future with dreams of an ultralight, superefficient plug-in hybrid with a bio-plastic body made of seaweed that could be in showrooms within 15 years. The kelp car would build upon the already hypergreen 1/X plug-in hybrid concept, which weighs 926 pounds, by replacing its carbon-fiber body with plastic derived from seaweed. A kelp car is not far-fetched as it might sound. Bioplastics are being used for almost everything ranging from greeting cards to cellphone cases. Oakridge National Laboratory has explored the possibility of producing carbon fiber from wood pulp.

The 1/X has been kicking around the show circuit for more than a year now, where it had its first debut at the 2008 Chicago auto show. It features a tine engine of 500cc and weighs about one-third as much as the Prius while offering about the same interior space. It’s got a flex fuel engine and electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries. But you cannot expect driving it anytime soon because cars made from seaweed plastic is still a decade away.

[Wired]