Exclusive: River Mobility Explores Narasapura for a New Plant Ahead of Product Ramp-Up

Bengaluru-based EV startup River Mobility is evaluating the setting up of a new manufacturing facility as it prepares to scale up operations, support its upcoming product pipeline and close its next round of funding within this year.

Sources said the proposed facility is most likely to be located close to Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s plant, within an established automotive cluster, even as the company continues to explore multiple states.

People familiar with the company’s plans added that the move comes amid rising demand for River’s maiden electric scooter, the Indie, and a steadily expanding product pipeline. The company is currently operating at a production run rate of around 10,000 units per month, translating to roughly 1.2 lakh units annually.

The expansion plans are closely tied to River’s upcoming product roadmap. Sources indicate that the company is working on multiple new models internally codenamed RX02 and RX03, which are likely to bring in incremental sales.

Taken together, these volumes are expected to stretch the capacity of River’s current manufacturing setup, prompting the need for an additional facility. Narasapura, which houses several automotive manufacturing units including those of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, is being seen as a strategic location due to its established supplier ecosystem and industrial infrastructure.

In response to a query from Autocar Professional, Aravind Mani, Co-Founder and CEO, River Mobility, said, “We are in talks with other state governments for our next factory. Nothing is finalised yet. We are working on the next round of funding, which we will close this year. We will share all the details once we make the news public.”

In addition to its own volumes, River is also expected to cater to production of the Yamaha EC-06 electric scooter, which could add around 5,000 units. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. partnered with River in February 2024 through a $40 million Series B investment to develop and manufacture high-performance electric scooters, marking its formal entry into India’s electric two-wheeler market.

The partnership leverages River’s EV design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities to build products for both Indian and global markets. The EC-06, based on River’s Indie platform, will be manufactured by River, while Yamaha will handle retail and aftersales through its existing dealer and service network. “We have delivered the scooters to Yamaha and they have started retail sales as well,” Mani added.

The founder of River stated that the company has a capacity to produce one lakh Indies per month at its existing factory and is yet to reach full capacity – but it is clear that the plans are afoot to scale up significantly beyond that hence conversations with multiple state governments for a new factory.

On the new product introduction, Mani said, “It will be launched in the first quarter of 2027, will be a scooter staying true to our Utility Lifestyle model,” without sharing more details, but sources indicate that it is going to be a high-volume product helping the company scale up and utilize the new plant effectively.