River Mobility Opens First International Store in Kathmandu as Indian EV Makers Look to Nepal

River Mobility, the Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler maker, has opened its first international retail and service store in Kathmandu, marking the start of its expansion beyond India. The outlet, in the capital’s Naxal area, has been set up with Vishal Group, River’s partner for retail and after-sales operations in Nepal.

The store sells River’s Indie electric scooter, along with accessories and merchandise, and includes a dedicated service centre. The Indie is priced at NPR 3,70,000 ex-showroom in Kathmandu. Test rides and bookings are open at the outlet, and River plans to add retail and service locations in other major Nepali cities, though it has not given a timeline.

The move comes as River builds out its domestic network. The company has more than 90 stores across Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Delhi-NCR, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and aims to have more than 400 by March 2028.

A scooter built for rough roads

River has positioned the Indie as a practical, rugged scooter instead of a sleek urban commuter. The company calls it the “SUV of scooters”, and its specifications reflect that pitch. The Indie uses a 4 kWh battery and offers an IDC-certified range of up to 160 km on a single charge, with a claimed top speed of 90 km/h.

It has 177 mm of ground clearance, can climb gradients of up to 18 degrees and offers 55 litres of lockable storage, a large figure for the segment. Riders can choose among three riding modes. The design has won both the Red Dot Design Concept Award in 2024 and the Red Dot Product Design Award in 2025.

Those features matter in Nepal, where steep terrain, uneven roads and monsoon conditions test vehicles hard. Before entering the market, River said it tested the Indie on Kathmandu’s roads, including uphill routes such as the climb to White Gumba, a monastery on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley. The scooter made its Nepali debut earlier this year at the NAIMA Nepal Mobility Expo, where its price was first announced.

River’s chief executive and co-founder, Aravind Mani, has said the partnership with Vishal Group will anchor the company’s expansion in the country.

Why Nepal

Nepal has become one of the most dynamic electric-vehicle markets in South Asia, and an attractive first stop for Indian EV makers looking abroad. Three factors set it apart.

The first is electricity. Nepal generates most of its power from hydropower and has, in recent years, moved from chronic shortages to seasonal surpluses, at times exporting power to India. Charging an EV in Nepal draws on largely renewable electricity, strengthening the environmental case for electrification.

The second is fuel. Nepal imports all of its petroleum, mostly through India, which makes fuel expensive and exposes the economy to price shocks. With global oil prices elevated because of conflict in the Middle East, the running-cost advantage of EVs over petrol vehicles has widened.

The third is policy. Nepal has used lower customs and excise duties on electric vehicles than on fossil-fuel vehicles to encourage adoption, helping EVs gain a meaningful share of new car and two-wheeler imports.

Nepal offers Indian EV makers something rare: a market where clean electricity, high fuel costs and policy support line up. Proximity and cultural ties help too. Indian brands are well known in Nepal, supply chains run through India, and many Nepali consumers are familiar with Indian two-wheelers.

River is not the first Indian EV startup to make the move. Ather Energy opened its first international outlet in Kathmandu in 2023, and other Indian and Chinese brands are competing for share in a market where premium electric scooters still face price-sensitive buyers.

Pricing for a new market

At NPR 3,70,000, the Indie is positioned in the premium part of Nepal’s electric scooter market, reflecting import costs, duties and the distribution margins that come with selling through a local partner. River is betting that the scooter’s range, ground clearance and storage justify the price for buyers who use their two-wheelers for longer daily distances, carrying goods and navigating hill roads, rather than short city commutes.

The timing of the launch is deliberate. Nepal’s festive season around Dashain and Tihar is traditionally the busiest period for vehicle purchases, with dealers reporting long queues for two-wheeler deliveries. Opening a showroom and service centre in Kathmandu at the height of that demand gives River an immediate opportunity to convert interest generated at the NAIMA expo into bookings.

A dedicated service centre at the flagship store is also a signal to buyers. Concerns about after-sales support and spare-parts availability are among the main reasons consumers hesitate to buy electric vehicles from newer brands, especially in export markets. By pairing retail with service from day one, River and Vishal Group are trying to remove that barrier early.

The domestic network gives River a base from which to support the expansion. Its stores span southern, western and northern India, and its plan to reach more than 400 outlets by March 2028 implies a rapid scale-up of retail operations that will also test the company’s capital, staffing and supply chain. Managing an international launch at the same time adds complexity, which is why the partnership model, with a local group handling sales and service, is central to River’s approach.

For Vishal Group, adding River broadens its portfolio in a fast-growing EV segment where Nepali consumers are increasingly looking beyond petrol scooters.

The strategic logic

For River, Nepal is a relatively low-risk way to test international operations. The market is small enough to manage through a single distribution partner but demanding enough to prove the product’s durability. Lessons learned there, on homologation, service networks, parts logistics and dealer management, can be applied to other neighbouring markets in South Asia and beyond.

The expansion also signals growing confidence among India’s second wave of EV startups. Companies such as River, which raised significant capital to build manufacturing capacity, are now looking to export markets to improve factory utilisation and diversify revenue beyond an intensely competitive domestic market dominated by Ola Electric, Ather, TVS and Bajaj.

The challenge will be execution. Building a reliable after-sales network is critical in markets where EV ownership is still new, and River’s success in Nepal will depend heavily on Vishal Group’s ability to deliver service and spare parts quickly. For India’s EV industry, and for diaspora investors watching Indian manufacturers go global, River’s Kathmandu store is a small but symbolic step: proof that Indian-designed electric vehicles are ready to compete beyond home soil.