The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1817 The Flaming Tricycle
Of course, there were also some minor mechanical revolutions in addition to these, and all of these combined to create a level that the Austrian Navy could not reach at that time.

With Joseph Zeller’s genius, putting an internal combustion engine on a bicycle was not a problem, but he soon discovered the issues.

This thing is too big and it's easy to burn your butt.

Joseph Zeller and his team felt, no matter how they looked at it, that it was a terrible thing to have burned the noble backside of Archduke Franz Karl.

Moreover, early internal combustion engines were too large and heavy, making them not only inconvenient to mount on two-wheeled bicycles but also extremely dangerous.

Moreover, due to the backwardness of materials science, even parking is a problem for two-wheeled motorcycles.

Even using small internal combustion engines designed for aircraft still poses safety risks and is too expensive to be commercially viable.

However, three-wheeled motorcycles can perfectly solve these problems. They can add a heat insulation layer to the internal combustion engine or simply hang the internal combustion engine on the side.

Furthermore, Joseph Zeller and his team believe that three-wheeled motorcycles do not require assistance to get on, thus appearing more elegant, while two-wheeled motorcycles are more troublesome.

Three-wheeled motorcycles are relatively easy to repair; at least when problems arise, they can be towed by horses, unlike two-wheeled motorcycles which require the entire vehicle to be loaded.

"Your Majesty, this fire-breathing tricycle is simply a gift from God to the Austrian Empire."

It can carry not only people but also goods, and it is perfectly compatible with the Empire's other two great inventions—the backward donkey and the three-wheeled vehicle.

We all agree that it will completely replace horse-drawn carriages and usher in a new era.

One major reason why bicycles could not replace horse-drawn carriages in the past was their lack of power; human power could not ultimately compete with horsepower.

With the advent of trains, horses are rarely used for long-distance transport anymore. But for short-distance transport, we've tried multi-person bicycles, and even trained bears to pedal bicycles.

While none of them are as powerful or agile as horses, this brand-new fire-breathing tricycle offers us another possibility.

The possibility will increase further, especially if the power of internal combustion engines can be increased in the future.

Franz didn't want to disturb the other person's enjoyment of a bright future, but he really had something he needed to say.

"Then why don't you build cars? Aren't four wheels stronger than three?"

I hope you can build cars as soon as possible to benefit the public, why do you insist on getting involved with tricycles?

Joseph Zeller explained somewhat awkwardly.

"While four-wheeled vehicles do have advantages in stability and load-bearing capacity, we feel that three-wheeled vehicles are more in line with your philosophy of benefiting the public."

The cost of a three-wheeled vehicle is much lower than that of a four-wheeled vehicle, while its static stability and load-bearing capacity are no worse than those of a four-wheeled vehicle. However, it far surpasses a four-wheeled vehicle in terms of maneuverability and road adaptability.

Joseph Zeller produced a drawing, some photographs, and a report.

"Your Majesty, not every city in the Empire has roads as smooth as Vienna's."

In many cities, roads are still dirt roads and cobblestone roads, and potholes are very common.

The four-wheeled vehicles you designed might become immobile once they leave the testing grounds and Vienna, but the tricycles will not.

I have a detailed trial report and photos of road conditions around Vienna here.

Joseph Zeller paused and continued.

“We haven’t forgotten the task you assigned us. We have designed a one-of-a-kind four-wheeled car for you, one that is luxurious and unique enough to match your status.”

"We've done our best to match your requirements in terms of appearance, but some technical details are still not perfect, so we've asked some painters and carpenters for help." Franz looked at the pictures in his hand and realized that even the roads he had seen during the war were not real.

It was probably leveled before Franz arrived, as he felt the roads of this era should be similar to the dirt roads in the countryside of his previous life, and couldn't be any worse.

But now Franz realizes he was wrong; can this bumpy, uneven road really be called a road?

Although it's outrageous, Joseph Zeller really doesn't need to fool himself.

The report also detailed these issues, especially the road conditions outside of cities, which received a lot of complaints.

In addition, the high failure rate of four-wheeled vehicles makes the whole experience very poor, and the efficiency is even worse than that of three-wheeled vehicles.

So now the question is, should Franz believe the reports and surveys before him, or should he believe the experience of later generations?

"Baron Zereil, your suggestion has been approved. I will have a formal document sent to you tomorrow, but could you please change the name 'Flame-Breathing Tricycle'?"

Joseph Zeller thought for a moment and then said.

"Your Majesty, the engineers from the north want to call it a three-wheeled internal combustion locomotive. I wonder if you would like it?"

The strong North German flavor really overwhelmed Franz.

"Never mind. You can just call it the fire-breathing tricycle."

Joseph Zeller said excitedly.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else? If not, I would like to immediately share this good news with my colleagues."

Franz waved his hand, indicating that the guest should see him out.

He chose to trust his own judgment, but in reality, different eras have different optimal solutions.

Even Franz in later generations had seen those three-wheeled assembly plants, and even those privately owned modification plants.

No matter how much the manufacturers rave about it, this thing costs much less to produce than a car; its main selling point is its cost-effectiveness.

The inherent problems of tricycles in modern times are mainly low speed and poor safety, but these were perfectly acceptable drawbacks in the 19th century, since there aren't that many high-powered engines available today.

As for safety issues, they were actually mitigated because the speed was slow enough, at least the damage from rollovers was significantly reduced.

This thing is actually enough for ordinary people in the city, although it does require a little bit of modification.

When it comes to the development of tricycles, we have to look to South Asia. First of all, an extended canopy is a must. Putting aside things like privacy, at the very least it can provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Secondly, the specific modifications should be made according to the vehicle's intended use. For example, benches can be added for carrying passengers, and the frame can be extended for carrying goods.

Of course, Franz would not give up on his research into four-wheeled vehicles, since he couldn't expect these tricycles to carry tens of tons of cargo on highways.

Once engine performance improves, four-wheeled vehicles will remain the mainstream. Three-wheeled vehicles can only barely meet the minimum needs of civilian use; for special purposes, automobiles will still be necessary.

The best choice is to combine the strengths of both and divert traffic between them.

Furthermore, what Franz valued most about the three-wheeled motorcycle was its low cost and ease of mass production; this invention would quickly impact all aspects of the Austrian Empire.

At the same time, it is practical and convenient enough to create new consumption growth points. The Austrian Empire mainly relies on internal circulation, and in recent years it has been continuously injecting funds from abroad. Franz does not have much stock left.