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).
Potential adoption of C.A.V. batteries as standard over Exide batteries, due to separator issues.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\F\March1921\ Scan20 | |
| Date | 16th March 1921 | |
| To EFC. from R.{Sir Henry Royce} Copy to CJ. " " HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} " " WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} " " BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} " " PN.{Mr Northey} " " O.{Mr Oldham} " " R.R. of America Inc. (For the attention of OY.) ORIGINAL R4/G14/3/21. 16 MAR 1921 RECEIVED X.4283 X.607 X.664 X.1198 RE BATTERIES (ELECTRIC) I am very interested indeed to hear that the C.A.V. people are making a battery with the Willard separators. I certainly think that we should seriously consider preparing for the adoption of this battery as our standard. I am pleased to see you are getting some for test. I have great confidence that it will be the safest policy to adopt this particular battery. It would appear that the one quoted by you, i.e. 12xRx3 would suit our present 40/50 H.P. and for the 20 H.P. we should consider the 12xRx2. We should be glad if the Purchasing Dept, after you have had an interview with C.A.V., would let us know whether the price is right. We think the extra cost of probably about £1 nett for the threaded rubber separators would be well worth the money. I feel sure that in a car battery the separators between the plates is of the utmost importance, and undoubtedly our experience of failure with batteries has been almost entirely a question of separators. My impression is that the Exide batteries have been so carelessly made and insulated in this respect that I have lost confidence in them. I should be pleased for you to do as suggested in this letter, and make provision for the early adoption of this C.A.V. battery on both the 40/50 H.P. and the 20 H.P. , subject to the most thorough test possible in the time, but I have come to the conclusion that C.A.V. are perhaps the best people in electrical (Contd.) S K 53PV (100 L) (2' H' 198' 11-2-20) C' 3800 | ||