Z-Triton is an amphibious e-bicycle camper combining house, boat and trike. Designed by Latvian start-up company ZELTINI, its founder Aigars Lauzis came up with the idea while on a four year bicycle journey from London to Tokyo. Inspired by the canal boats of Amsterdam, trikes in Shanghai, and the human destructiveness he witnessed along his trip, soul-searching turned to innovation.
The unique amphibious mobile home offers an incredible level of versatility crammed into its small but perfectly formed frame. Z-Triton has room for a tiny kitchen and two people to sleep comfortably, allowing for both long adventures and quick getaways into nature.
On land, it can reach up to 25 mph and can be powered by cycling, with the added benefit of two 250W electric motors and a 36V battery that gives riders 40km of assistance.
I think the off-grid trend will become stronger and things will shift.
Once the three wheels are folded up and the inflatable pontoons are attached, the list of exciting features becomes endless. In boat mode it’s equipped with 40 ft/lb 12v Electric Outboard Trolling Motor, the hull is a harmonious concoction of blue-and-orange buttons that control headlights, a stylised orange Z for the steering wheel, winch, manual windscreen wiper, voltmeter, interior lights, 12V DC output, temperature and more.
Z-Triton will be sold in three different ways – as a ready-made version, as a DIY / self-assembly kit and as a 3D model. The focus will be on selling DIY kits so people engage with the product and so allowing those hardcore adventurers to custom request longer battery life and special features. However if it’s recreational, it will just be a case of raising and lowering a couple of wheels.
Aigars wants his ‘Noah’s Ark on wheels’ to be wholly inclusive, so that any family member able to handle the land-to-water transition.
Community is at the heart of ZELTINI’s ethos. When purchasing any of its products, you have access to a mobile app through which people will be able to connect to other Z-Triton owners, share pictures, and offer rentals for other people.
Its fundraising echoes the community that it’s building with Aigars and his family transforming their Latvian home into a self-sustaining, eco-designers paradise which they intend to run workshops from, continue creating and lead by example.
Fun, creative and sustainable
Aiming to attract early-seed funding and bring the product to the market in time for the summer season of 2021, Z-Triton will be available for individual purchases, for tourism industry, and companies that would offer it for rent in national parks globally.
When asked about the future of cleaner forms of transport in the wake of the pandemic, Aigars had faith. “I think people will be thinking of more autonomous, greener ways to travel as there is a future in electrification of transport. I think the off-grid trend will become stronger and things will shift.”
With the desire to transition into a social-impact company, ZELTINI is dedicated to products that celebrate fun and creativity whilst addressing the current global problems that humanity is facing. Its first step, the Z-Triton.
Keyword: Introducing the Z-Triton – ‘The Noah’s Ark on Wheels’