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).
Extract from a letter discussing the impressive condition of a battery after two years and over 20,000 miles of use.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 54\1\ Scan147 | |
| Date | 15th May 1928 | |
| X4614 P. Extract from Mr. Minchin's letter of 15.5.28. X.8660. X.4617P. With regard to the battery which did over two years' work and something over 20,000 miles, I saw this opened up yesterday and the parts when taken out and placed along side new material that had never been used, were identical. The plates looked as if they had just come off original formation and Mr. Preston reports that they are giving full capacity and had practically shed no active material at all. The wood separators were as the day they were made, exactly the same thickness, and the .4 mm. ebonite was in just as good state as the .6 mm. which in our opinion proves that the .4 mm. is quite all right. Some of the wood separators were ribbed on each side and some ribbed on one side, the latter appear, if anything, to be a little the better, though tests have shown that those ribbed on each side give slightly better performance at high rate discharge. One must remember that the majority of the time that this we battery has been on the car, the dynamo has had the output cut down to about half normal, and there is not the slightest shadow of doubt in anyone's mind at our Works that the condition of this battery is entirely owing to that one feature so that this should give you some encouragement to proceed with your auto-switch, when I personally think you will find that you will get some very exceptional battery life. | ||