Raging River

The River Indie is unique in a sea of electric scooters and, while there are plenty of fish in the sea, some are more noteworthy than others. Just how different is the River Indie? We swing a leg over it and take it for a spin

- Sayantan De

THE INDIAN ELECTRIC SCOOTER MARKET has seen a veritable explosion of home-grown vehicles and everyone is trying to have their schtick to stand out, but it is difficult to do so in such a varied landscape. It seems like River, the Bengaluru-based electric vehicle (EV) makers, have managed to pull it off with their electric scooter, the Indie. It looks like nothing else and offers specs and features that are markedly different from the competition. Just how much of that translates into a different real-world riding experience? We dip our toes into the "River" to explore the breadth of its shores.

There's a certain movie from the Pixar Animation Studios and a particular Indian electric scooter manufacturer copied the face of a character for their scooter already, so River have gone ahead and followed the other main character's face a little bit. The double-headlight set-up looks cute and works well with its unconventional proportions. Available in three bright shades, with contrasting black hardware, the Indie garnered a lot of interest from onlookers. The design is mostly dominated by straight lines, which is uncommon in scooter designs. The three colours on offer are named after the seasons: the Monsoon Blue you see here, along with Spring Yellow, and Summer Red. It seems like not offering a colour called "Winter White" is a missed opportunity.