The River Indie takes utility approach to beat its primary rivals from 2W EV manufacturers like Ola, Ather, Simple Energy, TVS, Bajaj and the likes
River is a Bengaluru based Indian electric mobility startup that has launched its maiden product already. Called River Indie, this is a fairly practical and no-nonsense scooter and the company advertises it as SUV of electric scooters. The pre-order price for Bengaluru customers was Rs. 1.25 lakh (inclusive of FAME II subsidy).
EV Startup River Bagged Rs. 323 Cr In Series B Funding
Recent developments revolving around River EV startup is that the company had its Series B funding round. This funding round was led by Yamaha Motor Co LTD. River successfully raised a total of USD 40 million in this round. When translated to Indian Rupees, USD 40 million is Rs. 332 Crores in today’s conversion rates.
Other notable players who contributed to River’s Series B funding round were Al Futtiam Group, Lowercarbon Capital, Toyota Ventures and Maniv Mobility. Refreshing your memory, Al Futtiam Group was the one that led the funding round for River startup held in 2023. In total, River has managed to raise USD 68 million.
When translated to Indian Rupees, USD 68 million is Rs. 565 Crores in today’s conversion rates. River has its 12,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Hoskote, outside Bengaluru in Karnataka state. Just last month, River opened its inaugural showroom in Bengaluru, soon to be followed by more.
Among the USD 68 million raised so far, a sizeable chunk is likely to go towards significantly extending River’s network in India. This includes both distribution and service networks to incorporate more metropolitan cities and other major Tier-1 nd Tier-2 cities across India.
Specs & Specifications
River Indie is the company’s maiden product. Indie is entirely designed and developed in Bengaluru, where River’s R&D facility is. The company launched River Indie last year and we have driven it around Bengaluru. You can read our first-ride review of River Indie here.
Indie is very practical and utilitarian in its approach to urban electric mobility. Advertised as SUV of electric SUVs, Indie boasts the highest utility with best-in-class built-in storage capacity of 43L under the seat and 12L glovebox behind front apron. There is a dual barrel LED headlight setup in its apron that resembles Yamaha NEO’s.
Uniquely, River offers additional storage boxes as accessories to fully elevate this electric scooter’s utility to a new level. There are three youthful poppy colours on offer – Spring Yellow, Summer Red and Monsoon Blue.
River Indie packs a 4 kWh battery, powering a 9 bhp and 26 Nm mid-mounted electric motor. Indie is claimed to deliver a real world range of 120 km on a single charge. Front and rear disc brakes, CBS (Combi Brake System) RSU telescopic front forks, rear twin shock absorbers, 14-inch alloy wheels and others are notable elements.
