New Vehicle Combines Boat, Bike and House

Please refresh the page to get the latest updates.

Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

combine

Verb

kəmˈbaɪn

to join or add two or more things together

Let's combine our efforts to solve the problem.

It is difficult to combine motherhood with a career.

All of their products combine usefulness with style.

Working together allows us to combine our skills.

cabin

Noun

ˈkæbɪn

an area in a plane where passengers sit; a small room on a boat or train

The cabin of the airplane is totally empty.

You can have only a limited amount of baggage in the cabin.

This cabin is much more comfortable than I expected.

customize

Verb

ˈkʌstəmaɪz

to change something to suit a particular person, task, situation, etc.

The program can be customized to meet your company's needs.

cycle

Verb

ˈsaɪkl

to ride or travel by bicycle

I started cycling to work last year.

sustainable

Adjective

səˈsteɪnəbl

able to continue at the same rate or level; that does not use up natural resources

The trouble is that mining will not provide a sustainable economy for this community.

Economic growth has been so rapid that analysts fear it is not sustainable over the long term.

Wind power is a sustainable form of energy.

motor

Noun

ˈmoʊtər

a device that makes a machine, a vehicle, etc., work

This boat has three powerful motors.

Here is the design of the motor.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

New Vehicle Combines Boat, Bike and House

Latvian design company Zeltini has made a vehicle that travels on land and water with space to sleep inside.

The Z-Triton combines a boat, bicycle and very small house in one vehicle. The company says it can be used for both long journeys and weekend trips.

Attached to the front of the cabin is the front half of a bicycle — including a seat, wheel, pedals and handlebars — which lifts up when the vehicle is on water. The cabin itself has space for two people inside.

The Z-Triton is 3.6 meters long, 1.2 meters wide and 1.6 meters high. It will cost around $8,000 to $10,000, and people will be able to either buy one already built, or build it themselves and customize it.

Aigars Lauzis, founder of Zeltini, cycled over 30,000 kilometers from London to Tokyo over four years, but he hated sleeping in a tent and couldn't cross water with just a bike.

Inspired by vehicles he saw on his trip, as well as problems caused by climate change, Lauzis wanted to make something that was fun to travel in and sustainable. The Z-Triton uses solar power and has two electric motors to help with cycling, as well as an electric boat engine.

The company also hopes to have an app that will help owners connect with each other, and help people find vehicles to rent and places to travel with them.

Zeltini has only built one Z-Triton so far, but the company plans to build the next 10 vehicles in summer 2021 and then start renting them in Europe.

Exercise 3

Questions

How much will the Z-Triton cost?

How long did Aigars Lauzis spend cycling from London to Tokyo?

How many Z-Tritons has Zeltini built so far?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What are your thoughts on the Z-Triton?

Do you know anyone who would be interested in buying a Z-Triton? Please explain your answer.

Do you enjoy cycling? If so, what's the longest distance you ever cycled? If not, why not?

Have you ever slept in a tent? If so, please share your experience. If not, do you think you'd enjoy it?

Have you spent much time on boats? Please explain your answer.

Exercise 5

Further Discussion

When was the last time you went on a weekend trip? Please share your experience.

Have you traveled much around your own country? Please explain your answer.

What's the longest period of time you've spent traveling? Please explain your answer.

In your opinion, what's the most enjoyable way to travel long distances? Why do you think so?

What travel apps or websites do you use most often? Why?

Source

This lesson is based on an article by Vanessa Gibbs.