BMW Partner TVS Shows Off New Motorcycle Patent Concept

A new patent suggests an electric motorcycle is on the way from one of BMW’s major partners, TVS, which could be the first of its kind for the Indian brand.

TVS is currently India’s third-largest motorcycle manufacturer, and the popularity of its bikes in the South of Asia is reaching all-time highs as it produced close to four million bikes last year.

The company already features two scooters as part of its EV range but this new patent clearly indicates a motorcycle is going through the development process. TVS and BMW began working together in 2013, specifically on sub-500cc motorcycles, which resulted in the former building the BMW G310GS, G310R and its own Apache RR 310. As of December 2021, 100,000 of these bikes were sold globally.

TVS is responsible for manufacturing bikes that end up in BMW dealers all over the globe. The G310 single-cylinder range and BMW’s CE 02 electric scooter are all manufactured in India by TVS, and the company’s strong partnership with the German brand has led to TVS selling its own G310-based bikes in the form of the Apache RTR 310 roadster and Apache RR 310 sportbike.

Therefore, the new patent comes as little surprise as the electric motorcycle looks set to also feature certain design similarities with BMW’s battery-powered CE 02 and CE 04 models.

BMW’s CE machines are scooters, so there’s already a big distinction between the two, however, TVS already makes two electric scooters under its own brand (the TVS X and the TVS iQube), but they have swingarm-mounted motors. The new design appears to mount its motor in the chassis, with a belt sending power to the rear wheel.

It’s unclear at this time whether BMW will jump onboard with the TVS design and actually unveil its own branded version of the new electric motorcycle at a later date.

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