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<strong>The</strong> Z-Triton:<br />
imagine the<br />
Transformers<br />
movies<br />
remade on a<br />
tight budget<br />
Z-TRITON<br />
Floating an idea<br />
Applying the tiny-home concept to adventure travel, this amphibious<br />
tricycle/caravan could be the answer to self-distancing holidays<br />
A few years ago, when Latvian<br />
urban designer Aigars Lauzis<br />
conceived the Z-Triton – a mix<br />
of boat, electric tricycle and<br />
adventure van – the idea of<br />
travelling in a self-contained<br />
mini-cabin would have<br />
appeared odd to most people.<br />
But fast-forward to <strong>2020</strong>, and<br />
as the global pandemic stalls<br />
the world’s travel plans, Lauzis’<br />
invention seems prescient.<br />
<strong>The</strong> concept came to Lauzis<br />
during a four-year, 30,000km<br />
cycling trip from London to<br />
Tokyo as he pondered how to<br />
recreate his journey as a family<br />
experience. “I came up with<br />
the idea for an amphibious tiny<br />
home that is completely solarpowered<br />
and electric,” he says.<br />
“You can cycle, sail and be fully<br />
immersed in nature, with a little<br />
camper to sleep in.”<br />
Cabin<br />
fever: all<br />
the thrills<br />
of cycling<br />
around the<br />
world and<br />
sleeping<br />
under the<br />
stars, but<br />
without the<br />
tent pegs<br />
It may look like an big toy boat,<br />
but the Z-Triton squeezes in a<br />
lot of technology. <strong>The</strong> trike can<br />
navigate terrain at 40kph, and<br />
it turns into a motorboat for<br />
freshwater sailing. <strong>The</strong> cabin<br />
has its own lights, heating, and<br />
cooking facilities. Out front,<br />
there’s room for one passenger<br />
while the other cycles, with an<br />
extra seat available for pets.<br />
This is far from Lauzis’ first<br />
‘big idea’; previous projects<br />
include a trailer that becomes a<br />
narrow boat, and the Z-Bioloo –<br />
an outdoor toilet that composts<br />
human waste to feed a lavender<br />
bed on its roof, then funnels<br />
the fragrant floral air back in<br />
as a natural air freshener.<br />
Lauzis hopes the Z-Triton will<br />
inspire a new trend in humanpowered<br />
adventure travel.<br />
“While it is electrically assisted,<br />
you burn your own battery,” he<br />
says, “I want to be fit and power<br />
my adventures with my own<br />
energy – to create something<br />
fun and a bit crazy that could<br />
tackle world problems.”<br />
zeltini.com<br />
AIGARS LAUZIS, GATIS PRIEDNIEKS-MELNACIS LOU BOYD<br />
18 THE RED BULLETIN
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