Meet Salamader: this Philippine-made trike floats!

The Salamander will carry a total of five passengers plus one driver both on land and in water.

MANILA, Philippines–One would think that this vehicle is the stuff only of spy movies, but last week, H2O Technologies Inc. unveiled to the media its first-ever amphibious tricycle called the Salamander at the Capitol Commons Center in Pasig.

H2O unveiled two prototypes: One runs on an electric motor and the other operates on a gas motor. It took the company five years to develop this final and fully-operational prototype.

“With an average of 20 typhoons and perennial monsoon rains that expose over half of the country’s 42,000 barangays to the dangers of flooding, the Salamander would be the ideal vehicle for commuters as well as local government use. This is why we created the Salamander,” said David Ong, chair of the board for H2O Technologies.

TESTING THE WATERS Salamander units going through a big test in the rough waters

He went on further to say that “when you look at what the country needs in order to begin resuscitating and rebuilding the drainage and infrastructure, it will take a lot of money and a considerable amount of time. We know it will happen eventually, but in the meantime, the country needs a way to continue operating. That’s why the Salamander provides the perfect alternative which works today but will also work in the future when the infrastructure issues have been resolved.”

“The Salamander will carry a total of five passengers plus one driver both on land and in water. Therefore, in a barangay which may simply be waiting for flood waters to subside, the Salamander would be perfect to allow workers to get back to their normal modes of transportation and make their way back to work,” he added.

With its nimble size and high passenger payload capacity, it is the perfect vehicle to navigate around the inner streets of small towns and barangays.

“The Salamander will help us to overcome the challenges we have today during rainy season with flooding.”

The Salamander uses a patented solution that allows the vehicle to use the same engine that seamlessly switches from land to water travel as required by the driver. On land, it can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, and in water, up to 6 knots (11 kph) on a full load.

As a rescue vehicle or a waterway commute, its hull has been designed to withstand considerable amount of damage and still maintain buoyancy and stability. Custom car guru and H20’s creative talent Atoy Llave said that “as a member of the Board and cofounder of H2O Technologies, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to contribute to the design of this great landmark in Filipino innovation. So our team worked hard to ensure that we delivered some great style without compromising on structural requirements.”

Llave’s Atoy Customs is a byword in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is known for very elaborate custom vehicle projects seen in major car shows. It is also known for designing custom vans and food trucks for celebrities and major companies and franchise chains.

The driver’s side can still accommodate a passenger.

According to the company’s chief engineer Lamberto Armada: “[E]lectric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to support these vehicles are still in their early stages. Years from now, there will be charging stations situated throughout the urban areas, but right now, people will have to resort to other methods instead. That’s why we created the fuel-based version as well to ensure that we are able to bring our innovation to the people who need it today.”

“The Salamander will help us to overcome the challenges we have today during rainy season with flooding, but also be ready as the market shifts to more sustainable and ecofriendly electric vehicles in the near future,” Armada added.

Its founder and managing director Dominic Chung, who was equally excited about the launch, said, “The team we have is an all-Filipino team and our R&D (research and development) facility is based in an undisclosed location in Metro Manila, and we’re taking the simplest of resources—water—and doing things with it that will help our country move forward.”

Cooking up something else

Aside from the Salamander, this innovative company revealed that it is working on a gas-less “gas cooker” that runs on water. Chung also said that a number of parties were interested in investing in their company but that “while we have multiple interested parties wanting to invest, we have delayed our decision because we want a partner and not just an investor.”

Atoy Llave, custom car guru and H20’s creative talent, presents the Salamander.

“We are clear on our core competency of controlled innovation and so we also know that manufacturing en masse is not something we are equipped for. The launch of the Salamander highlights an exciting time for the Philippines on many fronts but none more so than that of knowing that the inventive, creative and innovative Filipino spirit is alive and well,” he said.

“And it’s great to see that with more ambassadors like H2O Technologies stepping up and showing that ‘Filipino-made’ can foot it with the best. I’m certain that the collective future of Filipino innovation and engineering innovation are in great hands,” he added.

As of this writing, there was no final pricing yet for the two versions of the Salamander, but it was estimated to be in the range between P200,000 and P500,000, depending on the final specifications.

The public launch of the Salamander is expected to be held at the 2015 Manila International Auto Show on April 9 to 12 at the World Trade Center.