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).
Comparison of battery specifications and performance from suppliers such as Tudor, C.A.V., and Exide.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\G\June1921\ Scan110 | |
| Date | 23th June 1921 | |
| Contd. -3- EFC1/T23.6.21. because they are making up for us two batteries to represent our ideas in every respect. It may be remembered that some considerable time ago we visited the Tudor Company and arranged for four batteries to be made to our specification. We have had two of these, which however did not meet our specification in some details, but in the two now referred to, the Tudor Co. are endeavouring to meet our specification in detail and have sent us the sample for this reason. This job has been kept alive because it was decided that in the case of items which only have a limited life, e.g. batteries and sparking plugs, we should have two simultaneous standards and as the Tudor Company showed great promise of giving us a good battery, this was taken up with them at the time in preference to other firms. The electrical characteristics of the battery have been very good, but not particularly as regards efficiency, as we have deliberately allowed them to lower the electrical efficiency for the sake of more robustness and longer life, and we are of the opinion that the two Tudor batteries which we shall shortly receive will be at least equal to, and probably superior to, our present standard Exide. We therefore do not think we should stop this matter at this stage. The elements are reliably supported and separated so that little trouble of shorting is to be anticipated. The C.A.V. Willard batteries are no doubt very good. We think the C.A.V. plates are very good and electrically efficient, but we have little experience of either the C.A.V. or the Tudor batteries in chassis service. We have heard it said that of the threaded rubber separators that in time the little wicks get choked up and the internal resistance increases. We do not know how much truth there is in this statement. We have enquired of you elsewhere whether we should allow the C.A.V. Co. to make up batteries with modified terminals and connections. If we use the C.A.V. battery as it is with the twin terminal, of which we hope to send you a sample, this would not be an exclusive article. The special Tudor battery on the other hand which we have little doubt will be quite a good job will be exclusive, having been arrived at by collaboration between | ||