This Tiny EV Truck Can Take On The Toyota Tacoma

Telo doesn’t quite have the same brand recognition as “Toyota,” but you should be aware of this new player in the truck world if you like two things: a five-foot bed and an electric powertrain. Thanks to some clever packaging, Telo promises a truck the size of a Mini Cooper can haul like a Tacoma, and all for around $50,000 in the truck’s top trim level.

What Is The Telo MT1?

It’s worth pointing out that Telo, the company behind the MT1 truck, is a very very small startup based in San Francisco. As of publishing, none of these trucks have hit the streets yet, though a few journalists have driven prototypes, AutoBlog included.

With that out of the way, it’s time to focus on the MT1. The small truck is designed specifically for life in tight urban environments, just like Telo’s native San Francisco. The whole thing is just 152 inches long. The comparison Telo touts is the Mini Cooper 2-door’s wheelbase, making the MT1 nearly the same size. Here’s a more important one, however: The Ford Maverick has a 4.5-foot bed and sits at around 200 inches in length.

A Small Electric Truck That Could Be Perfect For The City (And More)

Telo emphasizes the truck’s smart, urban-forward design. Despite being nearly the size of a Mini, Telo says the MT1 will seat five (though how comfortably remains to be seen), and features a folding midgate behind the back seats to extend the bed into the cab. Part of the truck’s clever footprint can be attributed to the EV’s cab-forward design, which allows for more space for occupants and their things without eating into the truck’s overall footprint.

What’s Under The Hood Of The Telo MT1?

The MT1 will be fully electric, built on a unique skateboard architecture. Named for the layout’s resemblance to a skateboard, the platform features the batteries in the middle and a motor at each end driving the wheels. Telo says there will be two battery packs, offering 260 miles of range from 77 kilowatts of juice or 350 miles from a 105 kWh pack. A single electric motor will deliver 300 horsepower, but an optional dual-motor powertrain will push that figure to somewhere around 500 horsepower. Peak charging speeds should be around 250kW.

Telo Could Shake Up A Bloated Truck Market

Telo enters the market at a time of extreme growth. We’re not just talking about more trucks coming on sale. Cars have bloated to the point where today’s midsize trucks are now the same dimensions as the full-size pickups of a decade or two ago. The Tacoma, for example, has swelled in size with each successive generation. A small, thoughtfully designed truck built for the way customers will use it (i.e., as a lifestyle vehicle) is a very different approach, only a few, like Slate, are taking. We’re excited to see if Telo can actually make rubber meet road with the MT1.