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).
Visits to Bosch and Westinghouse factories regarding automotive electrical components.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\5\ Scan066 | |
| Date | 1st February 1921 | |
| Contd. -3- Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 4/LGS.2.21. units on our own Battery Ignition. After being shown all round the Bosch Factory includ- ing the Experimental Departments, and meeting their Engineers and seeing the work they were doing, one had to admit that they must have a staff there who possess Technical ability and that they are excellently equiped for production. Several of the Engineers are Germans from the Bosch Factory. There are quite a dozen R-R Cars fitted with the U.S.A. Bosch Magnetos. Owners of two or three of our post-war Cars have removed the "Watford" and fitted the "Bosch" at their own expense. The R-R Service Depot said that to their knowledge several of these Magnetos had run for 30,000 or 40,000 miles on our cars. WESTINGHOUSE. the Westinghouse factory is about half-a-mile from R-R Springfield. They make all their Motor-Car equipment at Springfield and also all the small motors used for, Washing Machines, Vacuum Cleaners, Sewing Machines etc. etc. As regards the standard Westinghouse Generator ad Motor, it is about on a par with the U.S.A. Bosch. It is sold at the same price i.e., 15 dollars for each unit. I found, however, that they were quite prepared and were actually making special quality Starter Motor and Generator to submit to R-R at Springfield. Whilst I was at Springfield they supplied us with the Starter Motor which they had specially made. It was made so that our standard Epicyclic Gear could be fixed to it. There were several points on this Motor which we criticized and which they said they would alter. We actually fitted the Starter Motor on 4.EX Car in place of the R-R. {Sir Henry Royce} The Motor is smaller than our present motor - it turned the engine approximately twice as fast as the R-R Motor under hot and cold conditions of the engine. Of course, it took considerably more current. I came away before comparative figures had been taken but it was arranged that this should be done. They also had made for us a specially finished Gener- ator with voltage controlled type regulator. I saw the machine running on the test bench. It appeared to operate fairly well except that the Generator was noisy. They had another go at it and had just delivered the machine to R-R Springfield when I left. My impression, however, was that the Westinghouse while they appeared very willing to make special Starter Motor and Generator to suit R-R. {Sir Henry Royce} , there was not the same Technical ability there as there was at the Bosch Factory. That may have been due to the fact that Springfield is only a branch of the big Westinghouse Company. Contd. | ||