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).
Report from the Delhi Service Depot on the prejudice against battery ignition in India.
| Identifier | Morton\M1.6\ img025 | |
| Date | 15th August 1921 | |
| Len Kirby Delhi on Batt Ign only COPY. Rolls-Royce Ltd., Service Depot, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi. LKC/B15.8.21. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} DERBY. With reference to your memo Hal/L.08.8.21, I have pleasure in giving you the following facts on battery ignition in this country. 1. There is still a great prejudice against cars fitted with battery ignition only. 2. Many a car has been sold out in this country by fitting a Magneto ignition as well as the original battery ignition as people were quite willing to pay *** the extra amount for the Magneto and would not buy a car with battery ignition only.* 3. I have known in a great many cases where owners of Hudson and other American cars have been willing to pay a very high price to have a Magneto fitted.* 4. The ordinary Indian Driver is very often careless and neglectful, suppose for instance, a car fitted with battery ignition is running satisfactory he seldom, if ever, thinks of looking at his battery for three or four months at a stretch and when the battery is at last examined it is often found to be very short of acid and the terminals corroded up which sometimes necessitates a new battery the owner eventually gets tired of buying new batteries and sells his car and buys one fitted with Magneto ignition. 5. I notice that several American firms are also now fitting magneto ignition as well as the battery ignition. 6. A car owner in India often spends five to six months in the year up in the hills where he has no use for a car, and where the roads are not suitable for motor traffic. His car is left with a so-called Motor Firm in the plains, the battery more often than not is never examined during the six months that the owner is away, when he returns to the plains a new battery has to be purchased. 7. Ruling Princes often have a fleet of about 30 cars, one particular car may be used only once or twice a year, the battery in this case is often ruined as it has been forgotten.* contd:- [Handwritten in left margin next to point 4]: Lead Replied? [Printed at bottom left]: H'W' 3227 (100 L) W'H' 132 10-12-20' (O 2231) | ||