There’s yet another EV in town. When most electric scooter makers are focusing on sporty design, or a retro theme, River EV, a Bangalore-based startup has taken a slightly different route. With the Indie electric scooter, the company has taken the basic duty of the scooter to the maximum.
Dubbed the ‘SUV of scooters’, the River Indie is unique. It has a twin-pod headlight unit, large proportions, a rectangular tail lamp, and a humungous 43-litre storage space under the seat. To add to the quirkiness of the design, the Indie features built-in crash guards, racks to carry panniers, the ability to mount a top box, and a floorboard cage.
Looking at all of this, it makes one wonder — what is the purpose of the Indie? Who is River targeting with the Indie? “There is a large unreserved market in India, and more than 50 percent of India is self-employed. Most of them are running stores or taking over their family business, and they all have a need to carry things on the scooter apart from just commuting,” says Aravind Mani, the co-founder and CEO of River.
He adds, “Most of these people are young, between 18 and 20 years of age. These stylish people would not want to compromise on the styling of the vehicle just because they want to carry things on the scooter.”
Attention to detail is what matters with the Indie. The scooter can be ridden traditionally with legs placed on the footboard, however, when using the footboard to carry things, there are flip-open footpegs that can be used. River also claims that the Indie can carry as much as 200kgs.
Supporting this is a 4kWh battery pack that delivers 28Nm of torque and a top speed of 90kmph. The Indie has a gradability of 18 degrees while offering a real-world range of 120km, achievable with 5 hours of charging.
For River, the Indie’s not the last product, however, the company wants to wait until the market has absorbed the Indie before launching other products. “We are a utility lifestyle company and whatever we do will be focused on this. We have multiple products on the drawing board and since we are a young company and our first product launched, the Indie is the star. We will make announcements soon,” says Mani.
