In March of 2021, Triumph Motorcycles announced the development of its first-ever fully-electric two-wheeler with what the Hinckley firm dubbed the TE-1 — a project that’s been under development since 2018. Created through a multi-way collaboration between Triumph, the University of Warwick, the UK’s Integral Powertrain Ltd, and Williams Advanced Engineering, a working test mule of the electric naked bike was shown off back in February, though now, after months of being put through its paces on the street and track, Triumph has revealed the final working prototype of the TE-1 along with its complete spec sheet.
Having just completed its fourth and final phase of testing and development, the TE-1 features an impressive array of class-leading performance and capabilities that put many of today’s production electric motorcycles to shame. At the heart of the bike is a 130-kW (175-hp) electric motor that propels the bike to 60mph from a standstill in 3.6 seconds — and 0-100mph in only 6.2 seconds. Thanks to technology provided by Williams Advanced Engineering, the TE-1 is equipped with a state-of-the-art battery pack that affords a range of 100 miles while only requiring 20 minutes for a 0-80% recharge.
Tipping the scales at just 485lbs at the curb, the TE-1 also boasts a class-leading power-to-weight ratio. To assist in the development of the TE-1, Triumph called on MotoAmerica racer and Daytona 200-winner, Brandon Paasch, to help give feedback on the bike’s performance. The TE-1 also draws ample aesthetic influence from Triumph’s existing Speed Triple 1200 RS, with the naked eBike sporting a dual headlight setup, a suspended tail section, a knee-dented tank, and a belly-pan capping off the bottom of the eBike’s silhouette.
While thus far the Triumph TE-1 is merely a one-off prototype, the two-wheeled test mule nonetheless offers unique insight into the firm’s future lineup of fully-electric motorcycles — both in terms of their performance capabilities, and the fact that its inaugural eBike very well may be a Speed Triple or Street Triple-style naked.
