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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 charging difficulties for different car models based on typical usage patterns.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 54\1\  Scan067
Date  2nd December 1925 guessed
  
-7- Contd.

"Battery troubles are undoubtedly common after
"a few years use. Except in cases where trouble is
"experienced in a comparatively new car, I think the
"majority of owners and drivers accept this as an inherent
"weakness and make their own arrangements for repair or
"replacement. Nothing would consequently be known at W.
"In cases of complaint of battery failure I always advise
"the owners to take up the matter direct with the
"manufacturers."

Commenting on his second par. and in particular
the phrase "except with the Phantom", we are advising
him in this connection that that clause should have been [text struck through] "excluding the Phantom." [handwritten above 'have been': not have been inserted]

Mr. D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} says :-

"There is doubt whether owners are easily
"able to keep their batteries fully charged.

To appreciate the conditions you have to
divide the 40/50 HP. cars into Silver Ghost and New
Phantom types.

Taking first of all Silver Ghosts, I think
certainly there is a difficulty for drivers using their
cars almost exclusively in town, to keep the batteries
charged. They have little opportunity unless they
get a week-end run, of doing any charging and their
week-end run, as likely as not, will be merely to golf
club and back, possibly 30 or 40 miles each way.

With new PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I type cars, we have not yet
enough experience amongst the delivered cars to say
anything, but I anticipate that as the charging speed
is so much lower, we should have less of the trouble
experienced by town users of the Silver Ghost type.

Taking now the 20 HP. I can call to mind a few
cases where the cars, having been used all the week in
town, are dependent also on a week-end run for a good
charge. Unfortunately the dynamo output at speed on
the open road does not enable this charge to be given
and I have heard it suggested that the charging speed
in the 20 HP. should be lowered, so that some charging
can be done on ordinary town work.

Contd.
  
  


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