With the flourishing of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, the major automakers and components suppliers all over the world are now focus on the core competence of technological development. The EV industry is still an emerging industry, which has high-tech barriers, high R & D costs and longer product life cycle characteristics. The main components of the EV are the motor, battery pack, electronic control system and so on. The co-opetition relationship among enterprises is getting intense. By using technology-function matrix, this study analyzed the patent portfolio strategies of in-wheel motor, which is one of the key technologies of EV. The purposes of this study are: (1) exploring the intellectual property strategies of EV industry; (2) using the patent information to forecast the feasibility of the EV market; and (3) making the suggestions for the enterprises which are willing to invest in EV industry.