Breaking: River Launches Indie- A Macho Electric Scooter For Rs 1.25 Lakh

Bangalore based EV startup – River has launched its first electric offering called ‘Indie’ at Rs 1,24,999 (ex-showroom Bangalore). There’s one thing for certain, the e-scooter space is now getting quirkier and the Indie’s design certainly vouches for that. Here’s a deeper dive at what to expect from this new electric scooter that’s offering familiar performance and seen-before features, but trying to show how else it can be done.

River has chosen to take the ‘SUV’ trend approach. People who drive one in congested cities know they don’t “need” one, because the heft is simply impractical, but they want one because it looks cool. And, the Indie looks pretty cool, because the styling is fresh. Big wheels –14-inches front and back– helps this scooter standout and tall, taller than all other e-scoots in the room.

The twin-headlamps are like the spotlights on a jungle safari jeep or even the Yamaha Neo's. In fact, the big wide seat, the massive LED-lit 42-litre under seat storage, 12-litre lockable glove box at the front, and the pannier stays really push down on that maxi, SUV vibe. That’s a lot more space than what even the Ola S1 Pro offers which is 36-litre.

Holding all this heft up are twin rear preload-adjustable shock absorbers and a telescopic front fork. Also, the tall 14-inch wheels should in theory help improve the ride quality of the Indie over our bad roads. Braking is handled by discs at either end with a combined braking system. The clip-on handlebars are a smart idea as well, it should help taller riders have enough knee room. The seat height is an accessible 770mm and ground clearance is a decent 165mm.

In terms of performance, the Indie’s motor which claims a peak power of 6.7kW is more than a TVS iQube and just a bit more than the Ather 450X Gen-3. But the claimed top speed of 90kmph and 27Nm of torque looks like River is playing safe.

It also gets just three riding modes- Eco, Ride, Rush, and a Reverse mode too. The Indie’s 4kWh battery unit is the same capacity as the Ola S1 Pro. That said, River is maybe playing safe with their claimed real world range of just 120km from a full charge. The Indie can be charged back up to 80 percent in five hours using the standard charger, says River.

With regards to features, the digital instrument cluster gets a display which adjusts to ambient lighting and two USB charging ports (useful), but what’s impressive is the range of accessories River is promising for the Indie. From mobile phone holders to full luggage sets like – top box and panniers.

Pre-orders for the Indie are open from today onwards and you can do so via River’s website at Rs 1,250. And finally, River is hoping to begin deliveries from the month of August 2023.