Following the rollout of the refreshed River Indie in November 2024, Bengaluru-based startup River Mobility is witnessing growing demand for its electric scooter which is now a regular in the monthly Top 10 e2W OEM listing. Cumulative sales from January 1 to June 18 this year at 4,456 units are already a 77% increase over the River Indie’s 2,515 units in CY2024. And River is collaborating with Yamaha on developing a high-performance global electric scooter.
19 Jun 2025 | 1210 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
Bengaluru-based electric scooter start-up River Mobility is witnessing growing sales traction for its sole product, the River Indie. The company, which opened FY2026 by entering the Top 10 e-2W chart in 10th position in April 2025, has clocked its best-ever monthly sales of 956 units in May 2025, ...
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Bengaluru-based electric scooter start-up River Mobility is witnessing growing sales traction for its sole product, the River Indie. The company, which opened FY2026 by entering the Top 10 e-2W chart in 10th position in April 2025, has clocked its best-ever monthly sales of 956 units in May 2025, as per retail sales statistics on the Vahan portal.
River Mobility is currently ranked ninth in the first half of June with 537 units and bids fair to be again part of the Top 10 e-2W listing this month. As of June 18, a total of 678 Indie EVs had been sold and with 12 days left to go, it looks like June 2025 sales will improve upon May’s 956 units to set a new monthly benchmark for the Indie.
As the retail sales data table above depicts, River Mobility’s monthly retail sales hit the 600-unit mark for the first time in January this year and have risen consistently since then. Cumulative sales for the January 1 to June 14, 2025 period at 4,456 units are already a 77% increase over the River Indie’s sales of 2,515 units in CY2024. Total sales over the past 20-and-a-half months have gone past the 7,000-unit mark.
REFRESHED INDIE GIVES SALES A NEW CHARGE
The first River Indie rolled out of the company’s modern manufacturing plant in Hoskote, Karnataka, on August 25, 2023. The facility, which has automated assembly lines for battery pack and vehicle assembly, is spread over 120,000 square feet and has a production capacity of 100,000 units per annum.
Somewhat radical looking compared to nearly all the e-scooters sold in India, the River Indie is a head-turner which ticks most of the boxes for a two-wheeled EV. Pre-bookings for the Indie were listed at Rs 125,000 (ex-showroom). However, demand for the Indie in all of CY2024 was tepid, with the highest monthly sales being the 370 units in October 2024.
In November 2024, just over a year after production began, River Mobility introduced an updated version featuring a single-speed gearbox with a chain drive, a first in its segment. The upgrade was essentially to enhance durability and reduce ownership costs. The refreshed Indie’s pricing, at Rs 142,999 (ex-showroom Bengaluru), though is higher compared to the original model.
The River Indie scooter, which uses a 4 kWh NMC battery pack, develops peak power of 6.7 kW (9hp) and 26 Nm torque. The 0-40kph sprint takes 3.7 seconds and top speed is 90kph. River Mobility claims the Indie has an IDC range of 161 kilometres on a single charge, with a 0-80% charge taking five hours.
Other product highlights include lockable storage capacity of 55 litres – 12 litres in the glovebox and 43 litres under the seat (biggest for an e-scooter in India), front footpegs and 14-inch wheels to improve manoeuvrability and riding comfort. Like the first model, the updated zero-emission Indie has three riding modes — Eco, Ride, and Rush.
River Mobility has strategically focused on setting up its retail operations initially in southern and western India, both of which are the leading buyers of e-2Ws, before expanding operations to other parts of the country.
The EV startup, which currently has a 20-outlet sales network in India in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Hubli, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Coimbatore, Vellore, Tirupati and Mysore, plans to expand its retail footprint to Trivandrum, Vijayawada and Pune very soon. The macro plan, by 2026, is to operate in over 100 cities through a mix of company-owned stores and partnerships.
CO-DEVELOPED YAMAHA AND RIVER E-SCOOTER COMING SOON
Interestingly, in February 2024, Yamaha Motor Co, which has outlined a goal of reducing Scope 3 CO₂ emissions (emissions produced from the company's value chain, ie: use of sold products) by 90% by 2050 compared to 2010, invested US$ 40 million in River's Series B round of funding through third-party allotment. This made Yamaha among the early investors in River Mobility, which was founded in March 2021 by Aravind Mani and Vipin George. River Mobility’s list of investors includes Toyota Ventures, Al Futtaim Group, Lowercarbon Capital, Maniv Mobility, and Trucks VC.
Now, just a little over a year later, Yamaha and River Mobility have joined forces to co-develop and manufacture Yamaha’s first high-performance global electric scooter – codenamed RY01. Based on the River Indie, it will be Yamaha’s vehicle of entry in India’s booming e-2W market.
The RY01 is a joint development project between Yamaha’s engineering teams in Japan, the US, and Europe, and the River Mobility team in Bengaluru. The Yamaha e-2W is likely to be made at River’s facility in Hoskote. While Yamaha retains product ownership, River has been entrusted with full execution responsibilities—from R&D and battery integration to engineering and manufacturing.
The RYO1 was recently snapped testing in Bengaluru, which indicates market launch could be a few months away and possibly primed for the festive season.
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