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Specialist electric motorcycle project hailed a great success
Today (Tuesday 12th July 2022), marks the official completion of the Triumph TE-1 electric development project, a unique four-way partnership between WMG at the University of Warwick, Triumph Motorcycles, Williams Advanced Engineering and Integral Powertrain Ltd e-Drive Division.
The TE-1 project was funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK, and was set up to create ground-breaking developments in specialist electric motorcycle engineering and innovative integrated technology design. The project provides an input into Triumph’s future electric motorcycle offering, driving innovation, new standards, capability, and new intellectual property, whilst enhancing the credibility and profile of British industry and design.
Driving lower environmental impact transportation, and delivering against the UK’s focus on reducing emissions, the project also aimed to develop strong, commercially viable and sustainable partnerships with UK industry manufacturers and supply chains, whilst building expertise and capability within the UK workforce.
Nick Bloor, CEO, Triumph Motorcycles, said: “We are incredibly proud to be able to share such positive outcomes from the completion of Project Triumph TE‑1, where the prototype demonstrator has exceeded many of our initial targets and expectations. Everyone on the team is thrilled with the results we have achieved with our partners, and how the outcomes of the project will feed into the electric future to come from Triumph.”
Released today, the final testing results show how the TE-1 prototype has delivered on all targets and objectives following an extensive live testing programme which involved numerous assessments of the bike’s performance on a rolling road as well as on track.
WMG’s role in the project was to provide electrification expertise, and the critical vision to drive innovation from R&D to commercial impact, through modelling and simulation based on future market needs.
Highlights from the testing results include a standing start acceleration of 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds, peak power of 130kW (177PS / 175bhp) as well as peak torque of 109Nm (80 lb-ft), a 20-minute charge time (0-80%) and a 161km / 100-mile range based on official testing and projections. At 220kg (485 lb), the TE-1 prototype is also lighter than the equivalent electric bikes available currently by up to 25%.
Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, University of Warwick, explained: “To meet our ambitious emission reduction targets in the UK we will have to rethink the way we travel, not only transitioning from ICE to electric propulsion vehicles, but also encouraging a modal shift away from private cars. Electric two wheelers have a pivotal role to play in the transport revolution as a zero-tailpipe emission option.
“In our partnership with Triumph, WMG used our research experience in electrification to demonstrate manufacturers can deliver products with a lower emission burden as well as outstanding performance-offering customers an EV that is great fun to ride.”
Read more about WMG’s Transport Electrification research here: Energy (warwick.ac.uk)