Telo Electric Minitruck First Look: The Tiny Cybertruck You’ve Been Waiting For?
As EV powertrains unlock new potentials, this startup automaker aims to deliver Tacoma interior and bed space in a much, much smaller package.
Why, exactly, do trucks need to be so damn big? Some drivers truly need rigs with four-figure torque and 8-foot beds, but suffice it to say we've all seen trucks that are infinitely overbuilt for how their owners actually use them.
Telo (pronounced like "hello"), a startup automaker in the San Francisco Bay Area, is setting out to create a truck that delivers on its form factor. That's indicated by the company's name, derived from telos , a Greek word meaning purpose or goal. But Telo won't achieve its goal by making a truck bigger and more capable than every other; rather, it's rethinking what a pickup can be in the electrified era, resulting in a concept that's unbelievably tiny. If it works, drivers convinced that pickups are too big and too excessive might realize a truck is what they were missing all along.
Meet Team Telo
At this point the Telo truck is little more than an idea, but the brains behind it have outsized credentials for fresh, deep thinking in the EV space. Telo co-founder and CEO Jason Marks is an engineer who has led testing for autonomous and driver-assist safety systems found in major American automakers' latest vehicles. Frustrations with parking his Toyota Tacoma on tight San Francisco streets spurred Marks to ponder better solutions for city-dwelling pickup drivers.
Co-founder and CTO Forrest North has been deeply involved with some of electrification's biggest names. An employee of Tesla prior to Elon Musk's arrival, North developed the battery inside the Roadster currently floating through space . He also founded electric motorcycle company Mission Motors, as well as PlugShare, one of the top apps for finding and rating charging stations.
Leading Telo design is Yves Béhar, who has a Wikipedia-worthy background in product development. Although Telo is his first automotive endeavor, Béhar is no stranger to groundbreaking vehicles—he owned an early Tesla Model S and now drives a Rivian R1T . Despite his enjoyment of these EVs, Béhar doesn't think they're optimized for electrification, still shackled by combustion-engine vestiges.
Telo's network of advisers lists some high-profile names across consumer product and alternative fuel industries, but the one likely most familiar to MotorTrend readers is Andy Palmer , former CEO of Aston Martin and key executive behind the Nissan Leaf.
Tiny Truck—Big Deal?
America may have invented the pickup, but its fixation on creating ever-larger and more aggressive-looking trucks is unique in the world. Europe prefers large commercial vans for work duty, and across Asia minuscule Kei trucks whisk loads through dense urban centers. Meanwhile, in the US of A, trucks often serve as personal conveyances that only occasionally hold more than oxygen in their beds, but nevertheless, they continually grow in size and machismo.
It's a phenomenon Telo thinks has alienated swaths of drivers who might be well-served by trucks but can't align with the image they project. If those drivers don't opt for a Ford Maverick or Hyundai Santa Cruz , they go buy small crossovers instead. This truck-market white space is what Telo seeks to colorize.
Known internally as the Mini Truck 1, or MT1, the company's first product will simply be called the Telo. It's a showcase of packaging optimization enabled by electric powertrains. Despite measuring 152 inches long—the same as a two-door Mini Hardtop —the truck will have interior and bed capacities similar to those of the outgoing Toyota Tacoma.
No Shortage of Capability
That's owed to the absence of the hardware necessitated by combustion engines. You'll notice the distinct lack of a hood, which gives the Telo a cab-forward profile. Although the scale model we viewed didn't have an interior, Telo built a seating buck to represent interior headroom and legroom measurements. That your 6-foot, 10-inch author could sit behind the wheel with another 6-foot-6 journalist located in the seat behind is proof that vehicles don't need to be enormous overall to fit enormous people.
Telo designed its truck's bed with a similar approach. It measures 5 feet long a foot above the floor, though it's slightly longer at the floor due to the raked angle of the cab partition. Crucially, that partition is a folding midgate, which extends the bed's length to 8 feet when opened—that's all with the tailgate up. The bed is wide enough to fit plywood measuring 4 feet across. Targeted payload is 1,600 pounds, and maximum towing capacity 6,600 pounds, numbers similar to versions of the Nissan Frontier and Chevrolet Colorado .
No Shortage of Capability
A Rivian R1T-inspired storage tunnel spans the Telo's width and is said to have capacity for three carry-on-size pieces of luggage. Before you think it's entirely copied from the R1T, in the Telo the tunnel is accessible from the top via a panel in the bed, unlike the Rivian. Additionally, Telo wants to offer seats that bracket into that panel, transforming the truck into a petite three-row SUV when an accessory bed cap is also installed.
Impressive Power and Range—With Tesla Charging
Built using a skateboard platform approach popular among EVs, the Telo's chassis consists largely of carbon-fiber panels bonded to aluminum extrusions. Much of the truck's underfloor space is occupied by the structural high-voltage battery of Telo's own patent-pending design. The 106-kWh pack has all necessary wiring and connectors on top to join its 21700-size cells, leading to a height of just 4 inches.
Like a growing cadre of manufacturers that include Ford and GM , Telo will use the North American Charging Standard plug designed by Tesla. Range is targeted at 350 miles, with a 20-80 percent charging time of 20 minutes.
Every Telo will be equipped with a dual-motor powertrain for electric all-wheel drive. Combined output is 500 hp and 301 lb-ft of torque, enough for a Telo-estimated 4.0-second 0-60-mph launch. Based on a 27-inch tire, the truck rides with 10 inches of ground clearance and 8 inches of wheel travel. Telo wants its truck to have solid off-road capability but also be fun to drive—company engineers drive BMW 2 Series and track-prepped Mazda Miatas, after all.
“The Pill”—What’s That?
Contrasting the sneering visages of many trucks, Telo wants its vehicle to look friendly and approachable. It's crucial for new companies to devise a unique visual signature, which Telo seems to have done successfully. To say nothing of the truck's unusual profile and diminutive size, the grille-free fascia and triple-element headlights should prove recognizable.
A pill-shaped sculpting on the doors is another strong differentiator. Called the "milled groove" by Telo, it's a functional element. Although the exposed faces of the front tires should result in an epic approach angle, not enclosing them within wells results in additional turbulence. Telo will remedy this by building an air channel from the well through the front door, which vents out through the dark portion of the milled groove.
Safety Is a Focus
Rad as cab-over-type vehicles look, their design is a detriment to crash safety—a conventional hood provides for longer, larger crumple zones, after all. With safety engineer CEO North at the helm, Telo hasn't overlooked protecting its truck's occupants or those around it. Even with its blunt front end, the Telo truck has 18 inches of mechanical crumple zone. Additionally, the array of cameras and sensors on all sides of the vehicle will sense and classify potential impacts before cueing its driver-assist systems to activate. Telo plans to keep drivers apprised of what the vehicle is detecting with graphics on the infotainment screen or head-up display.
Celebrating the Forbidden Word of Trucks
In the world of trucks, the "L"-word—lifestyle—is a grave insult, but Telo leans into it. The company is unabashed in creating a truck for those who need a small, maneuverable vehicle that can support active pursuits or hands-on careers. It targets urban dog-owning surfers, cyclists, craftspeople, and others who would benefit from the capability of a pickup but lack the space for a large vehicle. It's a notion that "real" truck owners might scoff at.
Telo recognizes this consumer market is potentially niche, so it envisions commercial fleet applications for its truck, too. The company thinks its truck could woo municipalities, as it would allow workers to get closer to their destinations amid vehicle and pedestrian traffic—provided it has the capacity for necessary equipment. With 5G connectivity, Telo also wants to develop control systems for remote operators in warehouse or stockyard environments.
When and How Much?
Telo is in its early days and faces an unclear timeline ahead to put its truck into production. Surely it's monitoring Faraday Future, Canoo, Lordstown, and other EV startups to see how it can avoid the struggles those companies have faced in getting a vehicle on the road . Don't expect to see a viable, drivable Telo earlier than 2026.
To start, Telo plans to build its first vehicles in-house, using off-the-shelf components and composite body panels, for early adopters who might accept some roughness around the edges. Assuming that goes well, Telo will transition to contract manufacturing for larger series production. Building or acquiring its own production facilities is a long-term goal. Starting price is slated at $50,000 before tax incentives.
For now, Telo is eager to show its concept as it dives deeper into the development process. It's perhaps disconcerting that no mainstream automaker has moved to fill the void below compact trucks, but Telo is unburdened by the traditions and business considerations of those brands. For drivers who think the Telo truck might be a perfect match for their needs, reservations are now open on Telo's website for $152—a clever nod to this tiny pickup's length.
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Rear Three-Quarter View
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Workshop
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Scaled Design
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Batteries
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Motor
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Power Unit
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Cab Mockup
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Cab Mockup
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Interior Mockup
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Placeholder Seats
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Seat Detail
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Interior Layout Testing
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Tire and Rocker Panel
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Tire and Structure Detail
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Suspension and Tire
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Front Three-Quarter View
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Design
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Crew Cab Pickup Light Drawing
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Detailed Renderings
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Rear Three-Quarter View
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Badge
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Scaled Design
Telo Electric Mini Pickup Truck: Sizing Template
Alex's earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He's never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn't fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.
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