$50,000 electric pickup truck the size of a Mini Cooper — city dwellers would totally buy that
EV startup Telo’s first
electric truck.
Telo
Now that electric cars are all the rage, drivers have their pick of battery-powered pickups. There’s the familiar Ford F-150 Lightning and the new-age Rivian R1T. Someday we may even see the mythical Cybertruck leave Tesla’s factory.
They’re all nice vehicles with good range and impressive capabilities, but they’re all humongous. That doesn’t really cut it for city dwellers like me.
EV startup Telo’s first electric truck.
Telo
Enter Telo Trucks, a new American startup making miniature electric pickups that are as big — or small, I should say — as a Mini Cooper. The firm’s “urban adventure vehicle” advertises a large bed, seating for up to eight (!?), and a sweeping rejection of the notion that trucks need to be big to be useful.
I want one. Badly.
EV startup Telo’s first electric truck alongside a
Toyota Tacoma.
Telo
As someone who prefers life in big, dense, preferably rat-infested cities but also likes to skip town for hiking and biking adventures, a small pickup truck seems ideal. Getting behind the wheels of the new Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, the only compact trucks on the market, drove that point home for me.
Add in an electric powertrain and you get punchier performance, less maintenance, and an antidote to that nagging feeling you’re killing the planet. Sounds pretty nice.
EV startup Telo’s first electric truck.
Telo
Telo’s debut truck, announced earlier this month, comes in at a minuscule 152 inches long. For reference, a Ford Lightning is 232.7 inches. Plus it looks wonderfully weird and is packed with quirky capabilities, according to the firm. What we have here are renderings, and the first actual trucks won’t go on sale until 2025, Telo says.
The startup was able to lop off several feet from the truck by foregoing a traditional hood and front end. It has the mostly upright nose of a bus, rather than a conventional truck shape. Since EVs have their motors down by the wheels instead of up front, you don’t really need a long hood anyway.
EV startup Telo’s first electric truck.
Telo
The unusual design let Telo create space for five passengers and a five-foot bed, all in a footprint that can squeeze into tight parking spots. Telo is also touting an eight-seat option with three extra seats in the bed area, along with a topper that encloses the bed.
An opening between the bed and cab will let owners stash long items like surfboards and sheets of plywood (by invading the passenger space). A tunnel-like storage area that runs crosswise can be accessed using a door on the side of the bed. That’s something fellow EV startup Rivian pioneered.
EV startup Telo’s first electric truck.
Telo
According to the company, the truck will offer an impressive 350 miles of range. But that hasn’t been EPA tested yet.
So, yeah, I want one of these tiny, strange, seemingly capable vehicles. I could totally see myself chucking in a couple of mountain bikes and having a good laugh at all the other drivers circling the block for hours, trying to find a spot for their massive trucks.
EV startup Telo’s first electric truck.
Telo
But buying one will be easier said than done. Tesla’s success gave rise to a smattering of EV startups with big dreams and flashy designs, but only a few have managed to sell vehicles to customers.
You can reserve a Telo truck now for a refundable deposit of $152. Pricing starts at $49,999.
