Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 640 - 113, Technology

As the 19th century reached its latter stages, the Second Industrial Revolution began to gather full momentum, and technology innovations emerged one after another.

As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, Austria was among the first to reap the benefits of technological advancement, with the domestic economy charging straight onto the expressway of development.

By the end of 1877, eighty percent of Austrian cities had already embraced electricity, and the remaining cities were in the process of doing so.

The speed of this proliferation surpassed everyone’s imagination, and the fundamental reason for all these developments was the progress of technology.

Nobody expected that power generation technology would achieve another breakthrough in such a short time. The power output of generators had increased, with the coal consumption reduced to 450 grams to 630 grams per kilowatt-hour.

The vast disparity was primarily due to the quality of coal. Austrian power plants were privately owned, and naturally did not require standardized coal quality imposed by the government.

Secondly, there was a gap in power generation technology. Different power plants began to see divergences in technological capabilities, and a new round of survival of the fittest was about to unfold.

While the cost of power generation decreased, the Austrian metallurgy industry also achieved breakthrough progress. The price of copper plummeted in the market, resulting in lower production costs for electrical wires.

The significant reduction in costs meant that establishing a power network was no longer a dream but laid the decisive foundation for the proliferation of electricity.

The widespread availability of electricity brought more than just a revolution in lighting technology; it also accompanied an industrial revolution. Machinery powered by electricity sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

In addition to electrical technology, there was also a major development in internal combustion engine technology. This epoch-making invention directly relegated steam engines to the scrap heap.

Of course, this would take time; steam engines were still mainstream for the era. Even Austria, at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, had only just begun to experiment with internal combustion engine equipment.

But everyone had already seen the potential of internal combustion engines. Capital chases profits, and after realizing the tremendous potential of these engines, the number of enterprises developing them surged rapidly.

Especially for enterprises engaged in machinery manufacturing, failing to invest in new power research and development projects meant falling behind the times.

Quantitative change led to qualitative change; with more participants, results were inevitable. For instance, internal combustion automobiles were born ahead of time.

Of course, limited by power technology, cars of the era with internal combustion engines had no practical value yet. A car that needed maintenance after traveling just thirty or forty kilometers clearly lacked economic sense.

The cars in commercial use on the market were all steam-powered. However, due to their excessive noise and unresponsive brakes, leading to easy accidents in emergencies, they were banned from city use.

Although steam-powered cars were bulky, inconvenient to use, and slow-moving, they still had decent load capacities. Such ’black technology’ was typically active in mines.

Occasionally, some fearless tycoons would use these steam-powered behemoths as luxurious cars. It was impossible not to notice them; where would you put a steam engine if the car were any smaller?

Franz always admired these brave souls. Without their daredevil spirit, Austria’s automobile industry would not have developed so quickly.

As the saying goes, where there’s a market, there’s production. It was after realizing the demands of the wealthy that automobile enterprises began to research and develop internal combustion engine automobiles.

Of course, there were deviations. Franz knew some were working on electric cars.

Not by using batteries—this era lacked the technology—but by directly installing a small generator and then an electric motor as the propulsion system.

Whether it was feasible or not, Franz didn’t know. In any case, such cars were bound to be large.

With increasing size came increasing weight. To get such a car to move, the power of the electric motor would have to be increased, and the power of the generator boosted as well.

It was a vicious cycle; the larger the power output required by machinery, the larger its size and the greater its weight, causing the problem to feed back into itself.

From this perspective, such futuristic cars lost market competitiveness during the development process.

Technological innovation is commendable, and even if it ends in failure, there are still valuable lessons to be learned.

Upon reading this news, Franz merely laughed it off without any intention to interfere.

For a business to survive in the long term, it must be willing to make detours and learn from experience.

If a company’s leaders lack vision or judgment, sooner or later it will fail. Businesses like that are simply not worth saving.

Being half a step ahead makes one a genius, a full step ahead makes one a madman. Franz didn’t know what leading by several steps would make one—probably a martyr!

Who knows? Many scientific and technological innovations come about by accident and then flourish unexpectedly. If a company is lucky enough to create valuable by-products on the path to failure, it can still make a fortune.

Take, for example, making electric motors smaller and more powerful, or miniaturizing generators; these are feasible under the current industrial conditions.

There are many similar cutting-edge projects, such as the electric-powered train.

In the end, research on the electric-powered train failed, but it inadvertently led to the invention of trams.

This turned out to be fortunate, as the heavily invested Austrian Railway Company switched its focus and began to work on urban transportation.

Trams are clearly more competitive than horse-drawn or steam buses, and several cities in Austria have now adopted this advanced means of transport.

Unlike later times, where a project from inception to use needs years or even decades to popularize, the situation was different.

Capitalists back then were undoubtedly more proactive. Generally, it took only a few months, or at most a year or two, for new products to be promoted to the market.

The main factor is profit. Many industries are just starting out, without many interest groups to hinder progress.

Since horse-drawn buses and steam buses were heavily subsidized infrastructure projects, the Austrian Government naturally wouldn’t reject more advanced and cost-effective trams.

There were successes, and of course, there were failures. For example, some tycoon came up with a "moon landing project," and Franz could only sigh at the whims of the wealthy.

In this age, dreaming of landing on the moon is just that—a dream. It’s better to go to sleep and achieve it in dreams.

The project is still in its infancy, with no results yet. However, it’s already generating a lot of buzz, with dozens of wealthy individuals domestically funding the venture, aiming to launch the era of interstellar exploration.

If this project can persist for a hundred and eighty years, there might be a chance of success, but it would probably take twice as long to generate economic value.

Regardless, this kind of scientific spirit is definitely worth encouraging.

If nothing unexpected happens, the moon landing project should receive the 1878 Austrian Best Technological Innovation Award, while the interstellar project will likely win the Most Promising Project Award.

These awards were specially established by Franz to encourage technological innovation.

The application conditions are simple, with just two requirements: either the project has achieved some preliminary results, or the investment exceeds one million Divine Shields.

Of course, there’s a premise: the scientific project must benefit humanity.

Awarded projects are entitled to apply for free research space, with half-off water and electricity bills. Local governments will also actively cooperate with the project teams.

Tax exemption goes without saying—all scientific research projects in Austria are eligible for government tax relief, provided they are subject to government oversight of research funding, to prevent money laundering under the guise of scientific research.

Theoretically, whether or not the project ultimately succeeds, as long as it has social recognition and you’re willing to invest in it, you have a chance of winning an award.

Both the moon landing project and the subsequent interstellar project are money-consuming ventures that have gained wide social recognition.

These are just honorary awards, not too difficult to win. The real grand prizes for scientific research are bestowed by the Royal family, including cash rewards and even titles of nobility.

However, to win, one must have tangible scientific achievements, and if it’s theoretical research, it must also be collectively acknowledged by the scientific community.

The "Contribution to Science Award" is not handed out annually—it’s conferred every three years, without division by field, and solely based on the technological achievement.

Foreign scientists can also apply; Franz does not discriminate.

That, however, is in theory. Domestic scientists in the Austrian military tech sector can be awarded, but foreign military tech experts are out of luck.

Tough luck—after all, the award is there to validate the success of the technology. Military technology is strictly confidential; one can hardly expect to win an award and then show the results to the Austrians!

Come on, can everyone really trust the integrity of the Austrian judges not to use these technologies for themselves?

If someone dared to do this, Franz would certainly not be stingy with the reward. He would be willing to deal with all the repercussions that follow.