From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Arguing against reverting to thick plate batteries for the Phantom III, citing benefits of thin plate batteries for cold starting.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 58\4\ Scan255 | |
| Date | 21th April 1936 | |
| E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. BY/RD. 6021 BY7/W.21.4.36. "Phantom III". Use of Thin Plate Batteries. In view of E3/HP.18.4.36, the Order Office have stopped production of the thin plate batteries which were agreed to at a recent Conference on chassis work, with Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}, and all the principle people present. Whilst I am in agreement with experimental work being done before we change on the 25/30 H.P. and the Bentley chassis, particularly where there is a question of not only thinning the plates, but also reducing the number, I think it would be a mistake to revert to the thick plate battery on the "Phantom III" as a very considerable portion of the gain in easy starting of the "Phantom III" under cold conditions was being obtained by use of the thin plate battery which by giving a greater volume of current at a considerably less voltage drop, provided approximately a gain of 15% in starting effort. It must be remembered that when we were using the thick plate battery we were also using the third brush control on the dynamo and, as is well known to all of us, this system results in a continually increasing current being forced through the battery as the voltage of the battery rises, and it was to meet this adverse condition that the thick plates were specified originally. The use of the voltage control on all our present models eliminates the necessity for the thick plates as such, in our car batteries and personally, I consider that we should not revert to the thick plate battery for the "Phantom III". BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} | ||