With $40 Million in Funding, Indian Startup Creates ‘SUV of EV Scooters’
Aravind Mani and Vipin George designed an EV scooter with storage space of 55 litres, to help small business owners ply their goods. Equipped with USB charging, here is all you need to about the 'SUV of EV Scooters'.
In a conversation about the electronic two-wheeler market in India with the co-founder of River, an EV startup in Bengaluru, what we both agreed upon was that two-wheelers in India are the best friends of any middle-class family.
“They use it for everything from travelling in the city to buying groceries. That means that these families need their two-wheelers to have ample space, efficiency and be cost-effective,” Aravind Mani tells The Better India.
Cracking the code, Aravind, along with his co-founder, Vipin George, made their electric two-wheeler with 55 litre of storage space, packing it with numerous qualities. Calling it the ‘SUV of Scooters’, Indie is an electric two-wheeler built under River.
The company recently raised an investment of $40 million (Rs 335 crore) globally in an oversubscribed Series A and Series B round (second round of funding). Interestingly, Yamaha Motor Company and UAE automotive giant, Al-Futtaim, are among its top investors.
For the youth of the country
Calling their partnership a perfect match, Aravind explains how their work at the startup is divided. “Vipin is a hardcore automobile guy and I know how to sell things. The combination is perfect and we both handle our respective areas of expertise,” he says.
Both the co-founders are from Kerala and met through a common company where the duo worked. “We both grew up in small towns and we believe that India has massive potential. The youth in our small towns have great potential, especially in the manufacturing sector,” he says.
Wanting to utilise this potential, the duo decided to start their own company. “We were sure that whatever we produce will be manufactured by us in order to utilise the massive talent in the country,” he says.
“Being an automotive guy, we were very sure that this is the industry we wanted to enter. But this centuries-old industry is a tough one to enter. However, there is a huge change in the industry as people are accepting EVs more now. We wanted to create a niche around lifestyle mobility and this was our window,” says Aravind.
One thing that Aravind and Vipin were sure about was that they wanted to have a focus area and a problem they wanted to solve.
“Living in a small town, what we understood was that India is not producing enough blue and white collared jobs for the educated youth. Another thing that we noticed is that because of the lack of jobs, a lot of the youth in small towns become small entrepreneurs,” he says.
“All of them need mobility and they prefer two-wheelers as they are cheaper and faster. We realised how these small entrepreneurs need a two-wheeler that is efficient, electric but most importantly has ample amount of space,” he adds.
This became the primary focal point when the duo started to design their EV.
Stylish, sustainable and green
Talking about why he named his company River, Aravind says, “Just like a river which is giving and helps others thrive, we as a business want to help other small businesses thrive with the right transportation.”
Besides utility, what they wanted to focus on as a company was the design.
“In India, we noticed that if something is high in utility, then its design is neglected. However, since we want to appeal to the youth, we want to give them the best design,” he adds.
“The youth knows what they want from the vehicle but also they want it to have some personality. So this became our driving force, we combine utility with design to create a product that is eco-friendly and suits our users. Just as a farmer drives his truck or tractor with pride, we want a small entrepreneur, say a carpenter, to have pride in driving his business vehicle,” he adds.
The scooter has the largest storage capacity of 55 litre which is three times more than the average scooter in India.
“We also have the largest floor board since people utilise every inch of the vehicle in India. You will often see grocery bags, school bags, and even kids standing on them. So in our product, we have included ‘Lock and Load Pannier Mounts’, which are sturdy alloy mounts on both sides of the scooter. Attach pannier boxes, load up and make the most of the day,” he says.
“We love the hustle culture of our youth and we have made a vehicle designed especially for that,” he says.
The vehicle also has a 12-litre lockable glove box with a USB charger. “Store and lock up your valuables for safety, and easily access them while being seated,” he says.
Talking about the range anxiety that most people deal with, he says, “The scooters are usually used by Indians to drive within the cities and inter-city usage is usually via a motorcycle. Designed specifically for inter-city travel, we have offered a range of 120 km when fully-charged. So this way, a customer will be charging the vehicle once every three to four days.”
The EV is currently available in three colours — Monsoon Blue, Summer Red and Spring Yellow — set against a glossy black body. The company has a store in Bengaluru and has started delivering the vehicles.
“The customers are solo business owners and are from Bengaluru itself. We also have a few more stores coming up in different places in Bengaluru. We are also looking to expand in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Hyderabad, and Chennai,” he shares.
“Near the Bannerghatta Junction in Bengaluru, a yellow River Indie is a common sight. Its sleek design is what stands out for me. In the past 140 days of owning the vehicle, it has been a smooth ride. The vehicle glides over the potholes without any issue. I can feel the difference from when I used to ride a motorcycle before to now using this,” says Kugan Param.
If you are interested in checking out this EV, you can book your test drive here.
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Pictures Credit: Aravind Mani)
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