California EV startup Telo has pulled back the curtain on a four-door, five-person electric pickup truck that's the same length as the Mini Cooper SE yet sports a longer truck bed than the Rivian R1T.
"As the demand for electric vehicles continues to grow across the US, we saw a strong need for a vehicle that is suited for both urban environments and active lifestyles," said company CEO and co-founder, Jason Marks. "Now more than ever, urban adventurers want the practicality of a small footprint with the storage capacity and power of a traditional truck. With Telo, explorers can live in the city and venture out on weekends."
The Telo Truck has been designed in collaboration with Yves Béhar and Fuseproject, and measures 152 inches in length – making it a good deal shorter than a Toyota Tacoma but it still manages to match the bed length of one of the three trim levels offered for the 2024 model year, at 60 inches (1.52 m) with the tailgate up.
Folks looking to haul longer cargo don't necessarily need to seek trucks with larger beds, as Telo has cooked in a configurable mid-partition that allows such things as 8x4 ply sheets and 9-ft-long surfboards to peek their heads inside the cabin. There's also a storage compartment in the side that can stow adventure gear or luggage, and a truck cap can be added to enable a third row of seating or a camping layout to be installed.
"By focusing on the design and placement of the battery pack within the truck’s chassis, we are able to not only to create a roomier crew cab, but also develop a vehicle that is practical for its users," added Forrest North, Telo CTO and co-founder. "Our patent-pending battery packs are space optimized to provide an impressive 350-mile [550-km] range in between charges in our small footprint, while being highly manufacturable."
All in, the vehicle measures 152 x 73 x 66 inches (3,860 x 1,854 x 1,676 mm) – which should help with inner-city parking and maneuverability – and tips the scales at 4,400 lb (2,000 kg). The battery is rated at 106 kWh and supports fast-charging to 80% capacity in 20 minutes. The 500-hp (373-kW) motor will power the vehicle from standstill to 60-mph (96.5-km/h) in four seconds on its way to a top speed of 125 mph (200 km/h).
The Telo Truck is now up for pre-order for a deposit of US$152. The base price (not including any tax credits) is listed as $49,999. The first batch of production vehicles will reportedly be hand-built, and the company is eyeing a 2025 delivery window for early adopters ahead of scaled manufacture the following year.
Source: Telo
