Topic: Top Picks: 2013 LA Auto Show Highlights

[OliverD]

I've lost interest in the WRX. After the hoopla and rumours put out by Subaru themselves, I can't see it as anything but a disappointment.

Sales of the WRX have been slipping as it was. This isn't going to help. In the UK the Subaru line-up is down to the BRZ, XV, Outback and Forester. If they don't smarten up, they'll be in the same position here.

In the U.S. WRX sales through the end of October are up 39% over last year. Over the same period last year they were down 6% over 2011. They are going to sell 17-18k WRXs in the U.S. this year. Those are awesome numbers for a performance car that is only available with a manual transmission.

The addition of the CVT will only increase the WRX's appeal and the new car has some good improvements over the old one. It will do fine.

[Noto]

^^^ +1

They have me as a potential customer...only time will tell (July 2014)

[Noto]

Further to the fuel cell discussions, here's a fairly major set-back:

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Whistler+hydrogen+fuel+cell+program+jeopardy/9212028/story.html?google_editors_picks=true

[tpl]

Further to the fuel cell discussions, here's a fairly major set-back:

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Whistler+hydrogen+fuel+cell+program+jeopardy/9212028/story.html?google_editors_picks=true

As BC has large quantities of Hydro produced "green" electricity then why truck H2 from PQ when they could just set up a brute force electrolysis plant in BC to produce the H2 for the buses.  And for that matter that plant would produce the O as well for the fuel cells.

[Noto]

The article demonstrates that the infrastructure needed to bring costs down is too significant a hurdle, and a similar hurdle will likely be faced with passenger cars.

Many consumers didn't want to buy diesel because it wasn't at every gas station.  Imagine how long it'd take to put H2 tanks at every station (or even widespread enough around the cities and highways).

...and don't forget the part about buses not started in the cold because of freezing within the fuel cells.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I've lost interest in the WRX. After the hoopla and rumours put out by Subaru themselves, I can't see it as anything but a disappointment.

Sales of the WRX have been slipping as it was. This isn't going to help. In the UK the Subaru line-up is down to the BRZ, XV, Outback and Forester. If they don't smarten up, they'll be in the same position here.

In the U.S. WRX sales through the end of October are up 39% over last year. Over the same period last year they were down 6% over 2011. They are going to sell 17-18k WRXs in the U.S. this year. Those are awesome numbers for a performance car that is only available with a manual transmission.

The addition of the CVT will only increase the WRX's appeal and the new car has some good improvements over the old one. It will do fine.

Link? I don't have any numbers that break out the WRX/STi from the Impreza.

[redman]

Subaru Legacy Concept Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OWJmSfAFJfw

[OliverD]

I've lost interest in the WRX. After the hoopla and rumours put out by Subaru themselves, I can't see it as anything but a disappointment.

Sales of the WRX have been slipping as it was. This isn't going to help. In the UK the Subaru line-up is down to the BRZ, XV, Outback and Forester. If they don't smarten up, they'll be in the same position here.

In the U.S. WRX sales through the end of October are up 39% over last year. Over the same period last year they were down 6% over 2011. They are going to sell 17-18k WRXs in the U.S. this year. Those are awesome numbers for a performance car that is only available with a manual transmission.

The addition of the CVT will only increase the WRX's appeal and the new car has some good improvements over the old one. It will do fine.

Link? I don't have any numbers that break out the WRX/STi from the Impreza.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2013/11/01/094572-subaru-october-sales-increased-32-percent-over-last-october.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/subaru-of-america-inc-celebrates-record-breaking-sales-176817911.html

[EV Dan]

The article demonstrates that the infrastructure needed to bring costs down is too significant a hurdle, and a similar hurdle will likely be faced with passenger cars.

Many consumers didn't want to buy diesel because it wasn't at every gas station.  Imagine how long it'd take to put H2 tanks at every station (or even widespread enough around the cities and highways).

...and don't forget the part about buses not started in the cold because of freezing within the fuel cells.

So the hydrogen is trucked from Quebec where there is a chance it is reformed from natural gas, which is fracked most likely. Yep, it doesn't get greener than this 
Even if the hydrogen was made through electrolysis locally, it is still a very inefficient process, in comparison to just using the same electricity directly to charge an EV. And more over, AFAIK every FC car needs a lithium ion battery anyway which works as a buffer between the motor and the FC. It just makes more sense to make a higher capacity battery for that same vehicle than spend a hundred thousand $$ more for the FC crap.
Fuel Cell is a dead end the only reason it is still around is the powerful oil lobbyists with disgusting amount of political influence.

[tpl]

In BC wouldn't it make even more sense just to have a Diesel running on natural gas.  Local fuel, simple engine.

[G35X]

If automakers can make hydrogen fuel cell of reasonable output power (50kW+) small enough
and cheap enough to be put under the bonnet, that’s nice. But, before we reach that point, the
industry should be able to make mach smaller (3 to 5kW) and cheaper fuel cell for household
stationary use. Fuel (hydrogen) for this system can be made by reforming natural gas already
piped into practically all the household in urban areas. Thermal efficiency of this system can be
as high as 60 percent if hot water for kitchen and bathroom is co-produced by the waste
heat generated during the reforming process.

The electricity generated by this system can energize our house and also be used to charge
electric vehicles such as Tesla and Leaf. Cost of hydro power is going up and up, at least in BC,
while cost of natural gas is steady or going down gradually as production in Canada and U.S.
increases. Today we pay a little more than 10 cents per kW for electricity and less than 5 cents
for natural gas for the same amount of energy (3.6MJ).  Factoring the above 60 percent thermal
efficiency in the calculation, the electricity generated by the household fuel cell should cost less than
10 cents per kW disregarding the initial cost of the fuel cell system.

By the time fuel cell vehicle (which is in essence an electric vehicle) becomes viable,
Lithium-ion cells will be much cheaper in cost and smaller in size making cruising range farther
per charge.