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).
Letter discussing reasons for battery failure and proposing alternative starting mechanisms for vehicles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 37\1\ scan 127 | |
| Date | 19th September 1921 | |
| - 3 - To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Pt. Pt14/HP19-9-21. 2 Smail St, Sydney. purposes, has resulted in an enormous business having been built up in the large cities in the way of battery repairs. The rise of this business has been phenomenal within the last few years, and is, in my opinion, largely due to :- Firstly,- general neglect of battery, which receives no attention so long as it will function. Secondly,- failure on the part of the owner to realise the effect of the hot climate on the rate of evaporation. Thirdly,- the mechanical abuse due to the shocking roads, and Fourthly,- electrical abuse due to the fact that these cars have had their starting handles removed. When starting handles are removed the car owners use the self-starter even when starting up from cold in the morning, as they naturally object to lifting seat cushions, and groping among oily tools to find the loose starting handle, the use of which usually necessitates the removing of some plug or cap in the front of the car before the handle can be inserted. If the starting handle were left in position, the batteries would be saved a great amount of abuse, particularly if the handle were protected from mud. So strongly am I averse to asking batteries to do anything which can be done by any other means, at all events in this country, that I would very much like to see some other means of self-starting adopted, such as,- a mechanical starter, or compressed air, which if combined with an impulse type of magneto should ensure easy starting, or in the event of the failure of the mechanical starter, or the leakage of pressure from the compressed air reservoir after prolonged standing, would still make starting by the handle easy. Will it not be possible in the near future to obtain both lighting and ignition current from a direct generator having permanent magnets, and thus cut out the batteries altogether. This would, in my opinion, be ideal except for the detail of obtaining light when both car and engine were stationary. I regret that I cannot give you any figures to help you, and must rely entirely upon an expression of opinion, which opinion, however, is based upon a very extensive knowledge of the behaviour of cars in this country relying upon battery ignition, and also an extensive acquaintance among people using same, to say nothing of my own personal experience of the behaviour of batteries for ignition and other purposes in this climate and under the road conditions obtaining here. I trust that these remarks may be of some help to you, and shall be only too glad to give you any further information in my power. [Signature] | ||