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).
The investigation and testing of a Ni-Fe Alkaline Battery, including a diagram and comparison to an Exide battery.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\F\March1921\ Scan34 | |
| Date | 7th March 1921 | |
| Contd. -5- EFC3/T7.3.21. All this sounds like a fairy-tale, but if there is only a small portion of truth in their claims, we have considered it decidedly worth our while investigating this battery. The battery received is one of their standard, and the arrangement of the cells is not as we should require but is as in diagram :- 1. The cell to cell connections are burnt up, otherwise the cells are detached. 2. The battery is provided with a case with lifting attachments, but the terminals which consist of brass nuts, bolts and washers, are brought out at one end, which would be somewhat inconvenient for making connections on the car. 3. The separators are perforated corrugated ebonite. 4. The cell lids seem to be made up in a similar manner to the Exide. The vents are of ebonite and do not strike one on preliminary inspection as being good. X.3717 Ni-Fe Alkaline Battery. As already reported we have had this battery on EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}'s body test car, and EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} reports that this battery seems quite good in all respects except one, namely, that it turns the engine with less vigour withan the Exide battery when the engine is cold, which is a great disadvantage, inasmuch as he considers that even the present battery is really not powerful enough under these circumstances and will not, even at fully charged, cause the slipper drive from the starter to slip as he thinks it should. We have ourselves tried this on the car and when the engine is warmed up the starting operation seems to be quite easily effected, but when cold, it certainly turns the engine slower than we feel is desirable and prevents a start being readily accomplished. This, of course, would be anticipated by the result we got on the high rate discharge test of this battery. EFC. | ||