Holy Roman Empire

In the late 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution began to gain full momentum, with technological innovations emerging one after another.

As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Austria was among the first to reap the benefits of technological progress, propelling its domestic economy onto the fast track of development.

By the end of 1877, 80% of Austrian cities had already adopted electricity, with the remaining cities in the process of catching up.

This astonishing pace exceeded everyone’s expectations. The fundamental reason behind these advancements was the progress in technology.

No one could have anticipated that power generation technology would achieve another breakthrough in such a short time. Generator output increased, while coal consumption dropped to just 450 to 630 grams per kilowatt-hour.

The stark disparity was primarily due to differences in coal quality. Since Austria’s power plants were privately owned, there was no need for government-mandated coal standards.

Secondarily, there was a gap in power generation technology. The technological differences among various power plants began to widen, signaling the onset of a new wave of survival of the fittest.

While power generation costs decreased, Austria’s metallurgical industry also achieved breakthrough progress. The market saw a significant drop in copper prices, which in turn reduced the cost of producing electrical wires.

This dramatic reduction in costs made building power supply networks no longer a mere dream, laying a decisive foundation for the widespread adoption of electricity.

The popularization of electricity brought not only a revolution in lighting technology but also an industrial revolution. Electrically powered machinery sprang up like mushrooms after the rain.

In addition to advancements in electrical technology, the internal combustion engine experienced significant development. This epoch-making invention directly relegated steam engines to the dustbin of history.

Of course, this transformation would take time. Even in Austria, which was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, steam engines were still the mainstream, and the use of internal combustion equipment was just beginning.

However, the potential of internal combustion engines was already evident to everyone. Capital, always in pursuit of profit, quickly flowed into companies developing internal combustion engines once their immense potential was recognized.

Especially for companies involved in mechanical equipment manufacturing, failing to launch new power development projects would mean falling behind the times.

As more players joined the field, incremental changes led to breakthroughs. For instance, internal combustion engine automobiles emerged earlier than anticipated.

That said, due to the limitations of power technology, internal combustion engine cars of this era were not yet practical. Vehicles that required maintenance every 30 to 40 kilometers were obviously not economically viable.

The vehicles in active use on the market were all steam-powered automobiles. However, due to their excessive noise, lack of braking flexibility, and high risk of accidents in emergencies, they were banned from urban areas.

Despite their bulkiness, inconvenience, and slow speeds, steam-powered vehicles did have decent load capacity. These “black technology” devices were typically used in mines.

Occasionally, daring wealthy individuals would opt for these oversized steam-powered cars. It wasn’t just a matter of preference, the sheer size of the steam engine left no room for a smaller vehicle design.

Franz always admired these brave pioneers. Without their reckless spirit, Austria’s automobile industry would not have developed so rapidly.

As the saying goes, where there is a market, there is production. Recognizing the demand from wealthy individuals, automobile companies began developing internal combustion engine cars.

Of course, there were some missteps. According to Franz, there were even attempts to create electric cars.

These were not battery-powered vehicles, as the technology of the time didn’t allow for that. Instead, the design involved installing a small generator along with an electric motor as the power system.

Franz wasn’t sure whether such a car could be successfully developed. However, he was certain that the final product would not be small in size.

As the size increased, so would the weight. To make it run, the electric motor’s power would have to be increased, which would in turn require a higher-powered generator.

This created a vicious cycle. During this era, the more powerful the machinery, the larger and heavier it became, leading the problem to compound further.

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

Nonetheless, technological innovation is worth encouraging. Even if it ultimately fails, valuable lessons can be learned from the experience.

Upon seeing this news, Franz simply smiled and chose not to intervene.

For a company to survive in the long term, it must take a few detours and learn from its mistakes.

If a company’s leaders lack vision or sound judgment, it is only a matter of time before the company fails. Such enterprises are simply not worth saving.

Leading by half a step makes you a genius, leading by a full step makes you a madman. As for leading by several steps, Franz wasn’t sure, perhaps it makes you a martyr!

Who knows? Many scientific and technological innovations come about by accident. If a company happens to get lucky and stumbles upon other valuable by-products in its reckless endeavors, it can still make a fortune.

For instance, innovations like reducing the size of electric motors while increasing their power or making generators smaller are achievable within current industrial conditions.

There are many similar forward-thinking projects, such as electric-powered trains.

One such attempt to develop electric trains ultimately failed, but it unexpectedly led to the invention of trams.

This turned out to be a fortunate outcome. The Austrian Railway Company, which had invested heavily in research, pivoted directly to urban transportation.

Trams proved to be significantly more competitive than horse-drawn buses and steam-powered buses. Currently, several Austrian cities have adopted this advanced mode of transportation.

Unlike in later eras, when it could take years or even decades for a project to go from inception to practical use, today’s capitalists are far more proactive. Typically, new products are introduced to the market within just a few months, or at most 1–2 years, after their creation.

The primary driving force is still profit. Many industries are just beginning, so there are not as many vested interest groups to obstruct progress.

Horse-drawn buses and steam-powered buses were mostly government-subsidized infrastructure projects. With the availability of more advanced and cost-effective trams, the Austrian government naturally would not say no.

For every success, there are also failures. For example, a wealthy magnate launched a “moon landing project,” which even Franz could only attribute to sheer extravagance.

Wanting to go to the moon in this era? You might as well go to bed early and achieve it in your dreams.

This project has just begun and has not yet produced any results. However, it has generated quite a buzz, with reports saying that dozens of wealthy individuals have invested, aiming to usher humanity into the interstellar age.

If this project could persist for a century or so, it might eventually succeed. To generate economic value, that timeline might need to double.

Regardless, the spirit of scientific research is commendable.

If nothing unexpected happens, the moon landing project is likely to win Austria’s Best Technological Innovation Award in 1878, while the interstellar project will receive the Most Promising Project Award.

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

Only two submission conditions exist, and satisfying either is acceptable: Condition one, the project has attained interim results; Condition two, project investment surpasses one million guilders.

There are only two conditions for application, and meeting either one suffices. First, the project has achieved a milestone result. Second, the project investment exceeds one million guilders.

Of course, there’s a prerequisite: the research project must benefit humanity.

Award-winning projects can apply for free use of research facilities, with water and electricity costs halved, and local governments will actively cooperate with project teams.

Tax exemptions are a given. All research projects in Austria are eligible for government tax exemption, provided they accept government oversight of research funding to prevent misuse such as money laundering.

In theory, it doesn’t matter whether the project ultimately succeeds or not. As long as it presents an appealing vision, gains social approval, and attracts significant investment, it has a chance of winning an award.

The moon landing project, and even the subsequent interstellar project, are massive investments and have garnered widespread public support.

These awards are primarily honorary and not particularly difficult to win. The real prize is the Science Contribution Award, which is presented by the royal family. This award includes cash rewards and even titles of nobility.

However, winning it requires tangible scientific achievements. For theoretical research, collective recognition from the scientific community is also necessary.

The “Science Contribution Award” is not an annual event, it is presented once every three years. It does not differentiate by field and is solely based on scientific achievements.

International scientists are also welcome to apply as Franz has no objections to outside participation.

That said, there are exceptions. While Austrian scientists in the field of military technology are eligible, overseas military scientists are not.

This is unavoidable, as the award requires verification of the scientific results. Military technologies are strictly classified, and it’s unrealistic to expect participants to share their results with Austrian evaluators.

Can anyone truly believe that Austrian judges would resist the temptation to use these technologies for their own purposes?

If anyone were bold enough to do so, Franz certainly wouldn’t hesitate to grant the award. He would even be willing to handle the subsequent fallout personally.