Unlike the cloak of mystery that usually accompanies bike development, Triumph has been very transparent with its electric vehicle: the TE-1 prototype demonstrator.
Having successfully completed the first two phases of the project (partner collaboration and powertrain prototype), the British motorcycle maker has now finalized phase three — the prototype REVEAL.
Feast your eyes on this sleek machine:
While the TE-1 prototype carries the Triumph name, it’s not all Triumph’s own work.
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Sure, the company took care of the bodywork, the cockpit, and transmission, and braking systems, but it relied on its partners for the essentials.
Williams Advanced Engineering took on the development of the battery pack, and Integral Powertrain developed the electric motor. Notably, the motor weighs only 10kg and is capable of putting out a peak of about 130kW (174.3hp) for brief periods and a continuous maximum of around 90kW (120.7hp) — that’s pretty impressive.
And it gets even better: the powertrain has an integrated inverter, which can support more than 500kW of power (equivalent to 670hp!) — indicating the project’s aim to further increase performance output in the future.
The fourth partner, WMG, University of Warwick, has run the final pre-live trial simulation, ensuring the bike can deliver the intended performance and durability outcomes.
Curb your enthusiasm
According to Triumph, during phase three, the bike has exceeded “current benchmarks and targets set by the UK Automotive Council for 2025.”
And even though it looks like an ultra-sleek and powerful machine, don’t expect to ride it anytime soon.
The TE-1 isn’t intended to be a direct prototype for a production model. Instead, it’s supposed to give Triumph and its partners a strong footing in electric motorcycle technology, including intellectual property and hands-on experience in developing such bikes, to carry forward into future projects.
What happens now?
The TE-1 is ready to enter phase four: real-life testing.
Over the next six months, the bike will undertake an extensive testing program, which will include road rolling testing and track testing.
Once phase four is complete, we’ll get to see TE-1’s final body panels and paint scheme, before it moves on to active track demonstration.
Triumph will also publish the project’s full results and the bike’s final specs, such as battery capacity and range performance.
All in all, the TE-1 looks so good, I’m kinda disappointed that we won’t get a production version. But maybe if it achieves its expected trial figures, it’ll tempt Triumph to rethink its original plan and bring this to the streets one day.
In the meantime, we can console ourselves with the reveal video:
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