Yahoo Autos Triumph TE-1 electric motorcycle prototype revealed, ready to roast tires
Triumph has reached a significant milestone in its quest to bring an electric motorcycle to the market. Working jointly with Williams Advanced Engineering, the British firm has completed a prototype called TE-1 that it plans to begin testing on and off the track in the coming months.
Engineers faced major challenges during the development process. The heaviest part of an electric powertrain is the battery pack, so they needed to make it as light as possible and install it where it doesn't drastically alter weight distribution. Williams Advanced Engineering solved most of these issues by starting from scratch rather than by adapting existing components. The 15-kilowatt-hour battery is mounted relatively low in the chassis (lower than the fuel tank on a gasoline-powered motorcycle) and the control unit is integrated into the pack to save weight. Power comes from an electric motor that develops a peak output of 174 horsepower and 107 horsepower of continuous power.
