Want to go on an adventure but still wary of travelling post-pandemic? Love the idea of a roadtrip but prefer a more sustainable vehicle? Then say hello to the Z-Triton 2.0.
The mobile “hut” is a combination of tricycle, boat and camper in one nifty vehicle.
The amphibious vehicle is the brainchild of Latvian designer, Aigars Lauris, an avid cyclist who once cycled on a touring bike from London to Tokyo (that’s over 30,000 kilometres!). During his travels, he experienced firsthand the inconvenience of having insufficient storage and interruptions to his journeys, sometimes needing to stop to find a boat that could ferry him and his two wheeler across a body of water.
The Z-Triton prototype was ready by 2020 but while it was already fully functional, it was not quite ready yet to go into production, which was a real pity as it would have been a hit during the height of the pandemic. Sales of recreational vehicles spiked as it become one of the few safe ways to still have a holiday and many folks discovered or rediscovered the joys of caravanning.
After further R&D, testing, and improvements to design and construction, the Z-Triton 2.0 is ready to take to the road. The production version is more spacious compared to the prototype and is constructed from steel frames and fibreglass body, causing it to tip the scale at 200kg; some parts were 3D-printed from recycled plastic bottles.
Oh, and of course it is electric, as most vehicles labelled “sustainable” is nowadays, but the Li-ion battery is charged by solar panels on the roof of the camper section. The battery juice can last 50km in bike mode and 20km in water, which honestly isn’t enough for us to get to Tioman Island from the mainland (which is this writer’s benchmark), but if you run out of power, there are oars to let you manually paddle to safety (or exhaustion, whichever comes first).
It apparently takes just five minutes to convert the vehicle from land to water mode, by folding in the wheels, adding stability floats and lowering the electric boat motor.
The interior sleeps two persons, so a couple’s holiday is possible but who gets to sit in/on the camper while who cycles might spark arguments and end some relationships.
The Z-Triton 2.0 will first be made available in Europe at prices starting at €14,500 (approx MYR68,000) and delivery is slated for as soon as end-2022. Or if you happen to be in the town of Valmiera in Latvia, you can rent one for €60 a day to explore the pretty countryside there.
