Is BMW working on an electric G 310 R? Leaked patents suggest so

BMW Motorrad is reportedly working on an electric motorcycle that could be its entry offering based on the G 310 R. Recently leaked patent filings suggest that the upcoming electric motorcycle will share its underpinnings with the made-in-India BMW G 310 R and could possibly be built in India in collaboration with TVS. The leaked patent images reveal a battery, motor and controller placed inside the frame of the G 310 R streetfighter.

While BMW Motorrad is yet to officially confirm the action, the project does seem like a strong possibility, more so to keep development costs under check and reduce turnaround time. The patent images reveal that the battery is placed in the same place where you find the engine on the G 310 R. The battery pack is placed longitudinally, which leads to more efficient packaging since the frame can accommodate a larger pack. The bike appears to get a mid-drive motor that’s connected to the sprocket via a belt drive.

The battery pack has been placed longitudinally within the G 310 R's frame, where the engine traditionally goes, with a mid-drive motor connected to the rear wheel via belt drive

Both the battery pack and motor are placed close to the centre mass of the vehicle, which should keep the centre of gravity low on the electric motorcycle. It’s unclear if BMW is developing a new powertrain or opting for the same unit that’s seen on the CE-04 electric scooter. The electric motor is tuned for 31 kW (41.5 bhp) with 0-60 kmph coming up in 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 120 kmph. The CE-04 uses an 8.9 kWh battery pack while promising a range of 130 km on a single charge. Those figures seem quite reasonable on what we can expect from the G 310 R electric, should it make it to production.

BMW could borrow the powertrain from the CE-04 electric scooter with 41.5 bhp and an 8.9 kWh battery pack promising a range of 130 km

That said, prices would be substantially more for the electrified BMW G 310 R if it enters production at a later date. However, it would be interesting to see if BMW and TVS co-build the bikes with a TVS-based version to follow suit as well. It will also be interesting to see if Ultraviolette Automotive, which TVS has a stake in, will have any role to play in the development of these electric motorcycles. We expect to learn a lot more in the coming months about BMW’s electrification plan for motorcycles.