Zhang lead a Virginia Tech team that developed a way to produce large quantities of hydrogen from xylose, an abundant simple sugar that makes up 30 percent of the cell walls of plants.
About 15 percent of the new cars sold in California by 2025 must run on electricity, hydrogen fuel or other alternative fuels that produce near zero or no emissions, according to new rules adopted unanimously by state regulators on Friday.
California regulators voted to mandate major automakers substantially increase the numbers of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell-powered models in their fleets in the coming years, eventually accounting for 15.4 percent of all vehicles sold in the state by 2025.