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Recharge Wrap-up: Ford HQ gets giant solar array, Chevy City Express gets 24 MPG city

Ford will be building Michigan's largest solar array at its Dearborn headquarters. With funding from DTE Energy, the solar carport will provide covered parking, as well 30 charging stations for electric vehicles. The array is expected to generate 1.13 million kWh per year for Ford's operations, and offset 794 metric tons of carbon emissions. Read more in the press release below. Chevrolet announced the fuel economy for the 2015 City Express, at 25 mpg combined. The cargo van is rated at 24 mpg in the city, and 26 mpg on the highway. Chevy credits the van's inline four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission for its impressive city mileage. For its customers - which are mainly businesses - "The fuel economy of the City Express will help stretch their dollar at the pump and give them the flexibility to invest the savings back into their business," says Chevrolet's Ed Peper. The City Express starts at $22,950. Read more in the press release below. Engineers at the University of Wisconsin have developed an efficient engine that runs on a diesel-gas blend. The engine, which uses a computer to control the blend proportions, is about 15 percent more efficient than the any diesel engine according to mechanical engineering professor Rolf Reitz. The team has put the experimental reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engine in a demonstration car - a 2009 Saturn. "This vehicle can do 50 miles per gallon," says Reitz, who believes the system could be improved further. Read more at Wisconsin Public Radio. The Southeast Alternative Fuel Conference and Expo will take place in October in Raleigh, North Carolina. Held at the NC Clean Energy Technology Center from October 22-24, the event will feature a variety of exhibitors, speakers and, most importantly, alternatively powered vehicles. "The three day conference will be a one-stop shop for fleet and transportation related decision makers to learn about return on investment, efficiency and alternative transportation fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, propane and natural gas," says Anne Tazewell of the NC Clean Energy Technology Center. If you can't make it to Raleigh for the Expo, you can still enter to win a free two-year lease of a Nissan Leaf at the Center's website. Learn more about the event in the press release, below.

No, Cadillac is not killing its flagship CT6 sedan

Mark Twain never actually said that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated. But if the Cadillac CT6 could talk, those are the exact words it would use. Speaking to Jalopnik, Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen confirmed, emphatically, "There is absolutely no plan, at all, to cancel the CT6." In fact, says de Nysschen, the CT6 will soon be the beneficiary of significant investment. "The [CT6] forms a very important part of our product strategy going forward for the brand. The car also has a very major contribution to make to the shaping of brand perceptions, and the transformational process that Cadillac is undergoing." For instance, expect the CT6 to spearhead General Motors' most advanced forays into self-driving automobile technology. Interestingly, though, the Cadillac ATS and CTS sedans probably won't live past their current generations as the automaker 're-balances its sedan portfolio.' Replacement models are "in development" right now, says de Nysschen, which will "much more clearly separate the market position, both in terms of target customer demographics, in terms of market segments and in terms of price points between these three sedan lineups." So, that's confirmation that the Cadillac CT6 is going to stick around for a while. But what of other models cited by Reuters to potentially be killed, like the Buick LaCrosse and Chevy Impala and Volt? Read our take on that here, but suffice it to say that we don't think they're in danger, either. Related Video: News Source: JalopnikImage Credit: VCG via Getty Plants/Manufacturing Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Electric Hybrid Luxury Sedan confirmed cadillac ct6

2015 Chevrolet Cruze spied on its home turf

The next Chevrolet Cruze isn't set to go into production for about another year, and we're just now seeing prototypes of the new compact running around here in the States. Not much more has been revealed since we saw the car blasting through the snow in Europe, but we can still clearly see new design elements like the larger grille, slimmer headlamps and redesigned taillamps.
Our spy photographers worked up a composite image of this Cruze prototype alongside the current model, and here, we can clearly see some big visual changes are in store for the new model. The 2015 Cruze's hood slopes downward more dramatically, the windshield is more heavily raked, and the roofline looks more fluid overall. The next-generation Cruze will ride on the new global Delta platform that will also underpin other General Motors vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt and Equinox.
As for what's under the hood, we expect the normal range of gasoline four-cylinder engines (both naturally aspirated and turbocharged), and the compact's new turbodiesel four should carry over, as well. Have a look at the full brace of spy photos in the gallery above.