Motorcycles

Triumph unveils high-performance electric streetbike prototype

Triumph unveils high-performance electric streetbike prototype
Deigned and built in conjunction with Willliams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain and WMG, University of Warwick, the TE-1 is an electric streetbike prototype with wicked performance numbers
Deigned and built in conjunction with Willliams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain and WMG, University of Warwick, the TE-1 is an electric streetbike prototype with wicked performance numbers
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Deigned and built in conjunction with Willliams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain and WMG, University of Warwick, the TE-1 is an electric streetbike prototype with wicked performance numbers
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Deigned and built in conjunction with Willliams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain and WMG, University of Warwick, the TE-1 is an electric streetbike prototype with wicked performance numbers
Compact and slim, the TE-1 channels the well-loved design of Triumph's Speed Triple
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Compact and slim, the TE-1 channels the well-loved design of Triumph's Speed Triple
The prototype will undergo rolling road and track testing before it's fitted with its final, finished bodywork and paint scheme
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The prototype will undergo rolling road and track testing before it's fitted with its final, finished bodywork and paint scheme
The design is adapted from the Street Triple 1200, but from the looks of things, very few parts carry over between the two
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The design is adapted from the Street Triple 1200, but from the looks of things, very few parts carry over between the two
Williams has done a great job not making this 15 kWh battery pack look like a giant, soulless box
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Williams has done a great job not making this 15 kWh battery pack look like a giant, soulless box
Headlight unit comes straight across from the Speed Triple, including angry eyebrows
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Headlight unit comes straight across from the Speed Triple, including angry eyebrows
View gallery - 6 images

It's not finished or painted, but it's ready to ride. Triumph's collaboration with Williams, Integral Powertrain and WMG University of Warwick is now fully assembled and ready to begin testing. The TE-1 prototype looks terrific, and it will be a wild streetbike if it ever makes it to production.

Williams has finalized the battery pack, a compact, attractive and fast-charging 15 kWh unit with integrated cooling and carbon covers. Integral Powertrain has supplied the 10 kg (22 lb) motor, which peaks at 130 kW (174 hp) and puts out a continuous 80 kW (107 hp). That has its own integrated cooling, and it also incorporates an inverter rated for more than 500 kW. Both claim groundbreaking efficiency and lightweighting – more details on that in our previous update piece.

WMG has been working on preparations for the ECU, doing software modeling, simulations and testing with physical models designed to emulate real-world riding. And Triumph has built a motorcycle to put it all in.

A beauty, too. Styled after Triumph's own gorgeous Speed Triple 1200, the TE-1 prototype appears to keep the design DNA without sharing many actual parts. That's quite a magic trick for a machine that's been redesigned from the frame out around a brand new electric powertrain. Great job!

The prototype will undergo rolling road and track testing before it's fitted with its final, finished bodywork and paint scheme
The prototype will undergo rolling road and track testing before it's fitted with its final, finished bodywork and paint scheme

Now that it's all put together, testing can begin. Triumph will stick the TE-1 on a rolling road dyno to fiddle with throttle mappings and rider modes, measure the thermal performance, make sure all the software works as planned, and make some initial measurements on power consumption and battery range.

And then, the fun bit: taking this thing out on track for "dynamic rider assessment," or flogging the pants off it to see if it's actually a fun, safe, workable bike to ride. Some brave soul will have to test the electronic traction and wheelie control systems, and this is the point where Triumph will dial in exactly how the brakes and regenerative braking systems interact.

Williams has done a great job not making this 15 kWh battery pack look like a giant, soulless box
Williams has done a great job not making this 15 kWh battery pack look like a giant, soulless box

Testing should be finished by around mid-year, and at that point, the final paint and body panels will be finished and put on so we can see the TE-1 in all its intended glory.

And then what? Do we get a production model we can all play with? Triumph certainly doesn't seem to want people to think so. "The overall objective of the TE-1 project," reads a press release, "has been focused on developing electric motorcycle capability, in order to provide an input into Triumph’s future electric motorcycle offering, driving innovation, capability, and new intellectual property, and enhancing the credibility and profile of British industry and design."

So while this is a very exciting prototype, it could take several more years before anything related hits the street or the showrooms.

Source: Triumph

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4 comments
4 comments
sally
That is a thing of beauty, it actually looks fabulous without any bodywork and I suspect with Williams behind the electric technology it’s sure to be at the forefront of the potential for electric propulsion considering their pedigree. Can’t wait to see what evolves from this prototype even if you aren’t going to get me on a bike anytime soon.
guzmanchinky
that looks the business...
Nelson Hyde Chick
But is it going to have a cost comparable to an ICE motorcycle?
Dallas
I love the styling as-is! I just hope they add a center stand. NONE of the e-bikes I've seen so far come with them. I truly hope this one breaks that mold...