This electric mini-truck is the length of a Mini Cooper—but can carry as much as a bigger truck
Over the last three decades, the average passenger vehicle in the U.S. has gotten eight inches taller, 10 inches longer, and 1,000 pounds heavier. An imposing modern pickup can be so large that it’s difficult to squeeze into parking spots—and dangerous for people to walk by.A new electric pickup from Telo Trucks goes the other direction: It can haul as much as a standard passenger truck but fits in the footprint of a Mini Cooper. It’s also more affordable. While an average gas truck starts at $61,000, Telo just announced that its truck, the Telo MT1, starts at $41,520.The size is similar to trucks that were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. “You still see those trucks on the road because they’re so useful,” says Telo cofounder and CTO Forrest North, who was part of the team that developed the first Tesla battery. “People have gone to great effort to keep them running, especially in the Bay Area.” The old trucks are so sought-after, he says, that they sometimes sell for more than the original price. [Image: Telo Trucks]Automakers say that trucks (and SUVs) have gotten bigger because of consumer demand, but there’s another factor driving growth. Fuel efficiency rules were set up in a way that allows the biggest vehicles to have terrible gas mileage—while small trucks have to meet more stringent requirements. Automakers don’t have to invest as much to improve efficiency if they can just make bigger trucks. “That’s a big driver of why trucks are so big,” North says. “People are buying them, but they actually don’t have many other options.” (Automakers are also making more trucks, rather than sedans, because they can make bigger margins.) Telo saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. The smaller size is useful for city-dwellers who want to be able to easily navigate urban streets and still have room to haul surfboards or lumber on the weekend. But North says the company also has strong interest from ranchers in Wyoming and Montana because of the efficient design. (Ranchers and farmers are also big fans of “Kei” trucks, tinier vehicles from Japan.)The fact that the truck is electric helped the design team use space efficiently—there’s no engine on the front, and the motor and a compact battery sit on a “skateboard” at the bottom of the vehicle. The company focused on making the truck as useful as possible in the smallest footprint. “When we looked at other trucks, we saw a lot of space being wasted in places that didn’t really add any any value to the owner,” North says. The bed has five feet of storage space, as much as a typical larger truck. But if someone needs even more room, the gate behind the back seats in the cab can also slide down, and the back seats can be folded down. It’s possible to fit a 4-by-8 piece of plywood and close the back gate.Because of the size, it can have a smaller battery than most other electric trucks on the market. Some electric trucks have batteries that are essentially twice as large, North says, but don’t have any more range. (The heavier batteries mean that other parts of the large trucks also have to be bigger, and the bulky overall design also means that the vehicles are less aerodynamic.)The basic version of the truck has a single motor, and a range of 260 miles on a battery charge; the battery charges in 30 minutes. A dual-motor version, with 500 horsepower and four-wheel drive, adds around $4,500 to the cost, and there’s also an option to pay more for a version with 350 miles of range and that takes 20 minutes to charge. Customers can choose from eight different colors, from “sand dune” to “dark emerald.” The design, from Yves Béhar’s Fuseproject, is sporty and friendlier-looking than a typical truck with a hulking grille.The vehicle, which is being made by a contract manufacturer in Southern California, qualifies for the existing federal tax credit for EVs. Trump wants to get rid of that credit. But even if that happens, the Telo is a better deal than a typical gas truck or an oversized electric truck. Like other EVs, it also has a lower cost of ownership—electricity is cheaper than gas, and electric vehicles need fewer repairs.Preorders are available for $152 (a nod to the truck’s length in inches), and the trucks are on schedule to start reaching customers at the end of 2025.
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Over the last three decades, the average passenger vehicle in the U.S. has gotten eight inches taller, 10 inches longer, and 1,000 pounds heavier. An imposing modern pickup can be so large that it’s difficult to squeeze into parking spots—and dangerous for people to walk by.
A new electric pickup from Telo Trucks goes the other direction: It can haul as much as a standard passenger truck but fits in the footprint of a Mini Cooper. It’s also more affordable. While an average gas truck starts at $61,000, Telo just announced that its truck, the Telo MT1, starts at $41,520.
The size is similar to trucks that were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. “You still see those trucks on the road because they’re so useful,” says Telo cofounder and CTO Forrest North, who was part of the team that developed the first Tesla battery. “People have gone to great effort to keep them running, especially in the Bay Area.” The old trucks are so sought-after, he says, that they sometimes sell for more than the original price.
Automakers say that trucks (and SUVs) have gotten bigger because of consumer demand, but there’s another factor driving growth. Fuel efficiency rules were set up in a way that allows the biggest vehicles to have terrible gas mileage—while small trucks have to meet more stringent requirements. Automakers don’t have to invest as much to improve efficiency if they can just make bigger trucks. “That’s a big driver of why trucks are so big,” North says. “People are buying them, but they actually don’t have many other options.” (Automakers are also making more trucks, rather than sedans, because they can make bigger margins.)
Telo saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. The smaller size is useful for city-dwellers who want to be able to easily navigate urban streets and still have room to haul surfboards or lumber on the weekend. But North says the company also has strong interest from ranchers in Wyoming and Montana because of the efficient design. (Ranchers and farmers are also big fans of “Kei” trucks, tinier vehicles from Japan.)
The fact that the truck is electric helped the design team use space efficiently—there’s no engine on the front, and the motor and a compact battery sit on a “skateboard” at the bottom of the vehicle. The company focused on making the truck as useful as possible in the smallest footprint. “When we looked at other trucks, we saw a lot of space being wasted in places that didn’t really add any any value to the owner,” North says.
The bed has five feet of storage space, as much as a typical larger truck. But if someone needs even more room, the gate behind the back seats in the cab can also slide down, and the back seats can be folded down. It’s possible to fit a 4-by-8 piece of plywood and close the back gate.
Because of the size, it can have a smaller battery than most other electric trucks on the market. Some electric trucks have batteries that are essentially twice as large, North says, but don’t have any more range. (The heavier batteries mean that other parts of the large trucks also have to be bigger, and the bulky overall design also means that the vehicles are less aerodynamic.)
The basic version of the truck has a single motor, and a range of 260 miles on a battery charge; the battery charges in 30 minutes. A dual-motor version, with 500 horsepower and four-wheel drive, adds around $4,500 to the cost, and there’s also an option to pay more for a version with 350 miles of range and that takes 20 minutes to charge. Customers can choose from eight different colors, from “sand dune” to “dark emerald.” The design, from Yves Béhar’s Fuseproject, is sporty and friendlier-looking than a typical truck with a hulking grille.
The vehicle, which is being made by a contract manufacturer in Southern California, qualifies for the existing federal tax credit for EVs. Trump wants to get rid of that credit. But even if that happens, the Telo is a better deal than a typical gas truck or an oversized electric truck. Like other EVs, it also has a lower cost of ownership—electricity is cheaper than gas, and electric vehicles need fewer repairs.
Preorders are available for $152 (a nod to the truck’s length in inches), and the trucks are on schedule to start reaching customers at the end of 2025.
