Motorcycles The Triumph TE-1 Is the Best Electric Bike We’ll Never SeeThe Triumph TE-1 has finished Phase 4 of testing and the results are incredible. What happens next is yet to be seen.
- Words Iron & Air Staff
- Images Triumph Motorcycles
Triumph Motorcycles recently released the test results from their TE-1 electric development project. The final test results “exceed the project objectives and demonstrate the incredible success of this unique collaboration” according to the press release. Dubbed Phase 4, Triumph recorded some astonishing facts and figures including a 100-mile range and a 20-minute charging time putting the TE-1 at the forefront of the electric motorcycle market. The only downside? The TE-1 won’t ever see production.
Instead, Triumph plans to use the TE-1 as a test subject to push the limits of their capabilities with electric propulsion. The findings from the TE-1 will then trickle into other electric production bikes that Triumph will build. In an interview with Motorcycle News, Triumph Chief Product Officer, Steve Sargent told MCN “a lot of the guys who have been working on this project are now moving on to work on our production electric vehicles. We already have bikes on the drawing board now that the guys are starting to develop. As a brand, we don’t make utilitarian vehicles, we don’t have a scooter to go down to the shops on. It will be something that’s a Triumph. It will be an electric Triumph, but it won’t be this.”
Range and Power
Regardless, the TE-1 specs are hard to ignore. A reported 100-mile range was recorded off of the Williams Advanced Engineering developed TE-1 battery, with speculation that efficiencies and range are still to be gained from improvements in regenerative braking, the motor generator unit, and transmission.
With a level of performance similar to the current Speed Triple 1200, this prototype delivers an impressive 175hp (130kW) and peak torque at 80 lb ft (109Nm) for instant responsiveness with smooth controlled power all way up through rev range. Daytona 200 Champion Brandon Paasch participated in the final testing phase, and is quoted in the press release as saying, “The throttle response on the TE-1 is kind of incredible. It’s very torquey and when you first touch the throttle, it’s instant power. I got to peg this thing all the way from zero to 100% throttle and it’s unbelievably quick. It pulls like crazy.”
A reported 100-mile range was recorded off of the Williams Advanced Engineering developed TE-1 battery, with speculation that efficiencies and range are still to be gained from improvements in regenerative braking, the motor generator unit, and transmission.
Charge Time and Weight
One of the most attractive features of the TE-1 is the impressive charge time. Triumph reports that the TE-1 will charge from 0-80% in 20 minutes. The specifics of the charging technology or the charging stations used are not stated but we can assume that these figures are from a 240-volt/DC Fast Charging system.
The reported weight of the TE-1 is equally as impressive as it’s charge time. Coming in at 485-lbs, the TE-1 is up to 25% lighter than comparable electric motorcycles on the market. For reference, the Harley LiveWire One weighs in at 562-lbs, with a verified 100-hp and 84 lb ft of torque. The LiveWire S2 Del Mar comes in lighter (440-lbs) but with less than half the reported power of the TE-1 (80hp compared to 175hp).
Suffice to say, none of this matters if a motorcycle possessing all of these characteristics never rolls off the line at Hinckley — or wherever Triumph intends to build their production EV models. So until then, we’ll be waiting.
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