Chinese electric car giant BYD’s electric scooter patents might mean cheaper e-motorbikes

BYD is no stranger to seated electric scooters, having already joined a partnership leveraging its batteries for Singapore-based Scorpio’s high-performance electric scooters. But the carmaker might be interested in producing its own electric motorbikes in house, as revealed by new patent drawings.

Spotted by Motorcycle Sports, the patent drawings reportedly suggest a motorbike that would fall into the 250cc to 350cc equivalent segment, likely offering around 15-25 kW (20 to 35 hp), and a battery capacity of up to 9 kWh.

Higher performance designs, such as dual front brake rotors, hint at higher speeds than achieved by many of the more modest commuter electric scooters currently on the market.

The motor appears to be mounted coaxially with the swingarm, a design adopted by Zero Motorcycles in its highest-performance flagship motorcycle platform. That setup also helps reduce suspension complexity by maintaining belt or chain tension consistently as the suspension flexes.

BYD is known for building lower-cost electric vehicles that are still ripe on features, such as its flagship Han EV that retails for below US $25,000 in China.

The company’s LiFePO₄ batteries have proven to be a popular choice for many other electric vehicles from other manufacturers, and so it would make sense that BYD could employ them in its own potential two-wheeled electric vehicles.

In fact, the company was originally focused on rechargeable battery manufacturing from early in its development. Over time, BYD diversified into the automotive industry and has since become one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers in the world. Known for its innovation in electric mobility, BYD now produces a wide range of electric vehicles, including cars, buses, and trucks, as well as electric batteries.

Of course, we don’t have any concrete confirmation that BYD is planning on adding electric motorcycles or scooters to that list at this time. Many companies have gone through the exercise of designing and patenting two-wheeled electric vehicles, either to preserve the designs for future consideration or to protect such developments from immediate competitors.