Even though it’s a prototype machine, Triumph’s TE-1 bagged the illustrious ‘Electric Motorbike of the Year’ at the 2023 GQ Car Awards.

There’s no denying that Triumph’s TE-1 prototype machine is an impressive bit of kit, with strong looks, impressive performance, and a whole load of tech to make it a complete package. And now it even has an award to its name too, after scooping the title of being the ‘Electric Motorbike of the Year’ at the 2023 GQ Car Awards.

After years of teasing, testing and refining, the TE-1 broke cover last July in its final form, and is a product of a unique collaboration between Triumph Motorcycles, Williams Advanced Engineering, Integral Powertrain Ltd, and WMG at the University of Warwick. The project was funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK and was set up to serve as an educational tool to allow Triumph to research into potential future electric motorcycles, which looks set to be the future across the board on two wheels.

Paul Henderson, one of the judges said: “With a 0–60mph time of 3.6 seconds, top speed of 135mph, a 100-mile range on a single charge, and a 0-to-80 per cent charge time of just 20 minutes, Triumph’s first fully electric prototype has exceeded all expectations to set new standards in the sector. Triumph says they have no plans to put the TE-1 into production, but the technological advances, battery development and electronic breakthroughs will all feature in the British motorcycle brand’s next gen (or should that be first gen) production EV. In other words, the best is yet to come.”

Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer at Triumph Motorcycles, said: “We are delighted to have our efforts in developing an exciting, high performance electric motorcycle recognised at the GQ Car Awards. There are significant challenges in bringing electric motorcycles to the mass market, but the TE-1 is a crucial step towards Triumph’s development and understanding of electric vehicle technology.”