The electric scooter market is maturing as evidenced in the penetration of 16.5 per cent overall (EVs and ICE combined). This is significant, says Aravind Mani, Co-Founder and CEO, Bengaluru-based River Mobility, manufacturer of the Indie ‘SUV’ e-scooter.

“We are a utility lifestyle brand, and serve a fast-growing segment of young and solo entrepreneurs running their own trade or small business - a home baker, artisan, grocery store, even a YouTuber,” Mani told businessline after opening a showroom here.

‘SUV’ among e-scooters

Solo entrepreneurs need to carry random tools/ kits for work. So, utility is a core requirement that River focused on, and went on to design the Indie as a ‘SUV’ that offers largest storage for any scooter. It also boasts segment-only features of 14-inch wheels, a glove box, and assured space for two helmets, Mani pointed out.

The market is beginning to tip over to electric, at least for intra-city use cases. In the last calendar year (2024), 18 million two-wheelers were sold, of which 6.5 to 7 million were scooters. As many as 1.2 million (16 per cent) of these were e-scooters. 

‘Range anxiety’ fades

Most of the electric two-wheelers sold are also scooters, with a minuscule number being motorcycles. So, the e-scooter penetration is around 6 per cent. The average use case of a scooter is 10-30 km a day. It is easy to make it electric because ‘range anxiety’ is practically non-existent. Most people charge in their houses. And most quality e-scooters today offer 100 km. So, you need to charge once every two or even three days. It is as easy as charging your mobile phone.

Maturing technology

Fires and other mishaps in the early stages point to a lack of indigenous R&D. This is now being reversed. “Technology is also getting mature. These instances have since come down. The current crop of market players have strong R&D back-up.” Mani brushed aside concerns that the market is over-crowded. “In fact, we’ve a long tail. In March 2025, we got into the top 10 EV companies in terms of sales. So, that is an important milestone for us, since we’re only four years old and own only 21 stores, which is expected to rise to 25 soon..”

Lower threshold

The market for 18-20 million two-wheelers is controlled by eight companies, three Japanese and five Indian. ”If you sell more than 3,000 a month, you are among the top-10 two-wheeler companies. For e-scooters, the threshold is more than 1,000 a month.”

Mani said River Mobility has a 70,000 sq ft R&D facility in Bengaluru, with 450 engineers and staff. The entire technology -- battery pack that includes battery management system, vehicle control units, software and algorithms; electrical architecture; connectivity module; drive train -- is available in-house. Of course, the cells are imported.”

Compelling logic

River Mobility is focused on after-sales /service. “After all, a customer pays ₹1.5 lakh-plus to buy a vehicle. You are obligated to take care of it for the next 10 15 years. Not only for its first user, but for a prospective second or third as well,” Mani explained. 

While the buying price of an e-scooter may be more than a petrol scooter, one cannot contest the compelling logic the following comparison presents. For someone who rides 25-30 km a day, average running cost for a petrol scooter is ₹2.5-Rs 3 a km. For a distance of 1,000 km per month, this extrapolates to ₹3,000 per month. The comparable cost for an e-scooter is only ₹300.  

“So, the e-scooter saves him ₹2,500 a month. The extra ₹25,000 paid for acquiring an e-scooter can be recovered in 10 months. Market appears to have been largely convinced, or how does one explain 16.5 per cent of scooter buyers have gone in for e-scooters,” Mani said.

Published on May 21, 2025