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).
Battery supplier quality and the decision to continue with existing suppliers Exide and P.&.R.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 164\4\ img115 | |
| Date | 17th July 1933 | |
| Y 6056 To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} From Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}1/MJ.17.7.33. Re. Young Accumulators. We are certain that the Young battery people cannot supply us with a battery which will give us the service we obtain from the P.&.R. and Exide. The fact that they supplied us with a battery two years ago which was very much worse than the ones we were using at that time, shows that they lacked in technical ability and experience. We are perfectly satisfied with our two sources of supplies for batteries, Exide and P.&.R., and we should not be prepared to recommend another type of battery until we had had at least two or three years experience with it. The fact that Bentley Motors fitted Young batteries does not influence us because most probably it was a financial wangle. We find that we have to take a very strong stand against the people who supply parts and accessories, or the whole capacity of our Experimental Department would be used in carrying out tests for them. We get pressure from all sides to test out brake linings, sparking plugs, oils, batteries, tyres, etc., etc. We suggest the reply to Sir Malcolm Campbell is that at present we have two alternative supplies for batteries, Exide and P.&.R., and after years of experience and close co-operation we are quite satisfied with their products. It would take at least two or three years experience for us to have sufficient confidence to recommend another make of battery. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||