How does a mini electric truck that’s barely longer than a Mini Cooper tow more than most modern-day pickup trucks twice its size? I’m talking about the Telo MT1, the compact truck that was already on par with most midsize gas trucks in terms of its towing capacity.
In its latest update, Telo co-founder and chief technology officer Forest North has confirmed that the truck can now tow up to 8,000 lb (3,628 kg). That’s almost double its own weight of 4,400 lb (1,995 kg).
That means the MT1 effectively out-tows some of the foremost pickup trucks on the market. For reference, the standard-range Ford F-150 Lightning tops out at 7,700 lb (3,492 kg), the 2WD Cybertruck tops out at 7,500 lb (3,402 kg), and the current generation Toyota Tacoma is rated to tow up to 6,500 lb (2,948 kg).
That’s a mammoth achievement for a vehicle that’s all of 152 inches (3,860) long. To put things into perspective, the standard-range Ford F-150 Lightning mentioned above measures 232.7 inches (5,911 mm) in length.
The MT1 is perhaps as compact as a modern-day pickup can be. And even then, it comes with a full-size 60-by-96-inch (1,524-2,438-mm) bed. At the same time, you still get five-person seating inside. And, to seat more people, you can even add a third row of seats in the bed itself, effectively letting you seat eight people.
Telo's mini e-truck, as you'll know by now, didn't always come with this towing capacity. When first released, it was limited to 6,000 lb (2,721 kg), but it was North’s personal needs that drove him to chase the new towing capacity.
"I personally have a travel trailer, and I wanted to make sure that I could tow that," the CTO said. "Now that we’re further into it, we have towed a bunch of things. We understand towing and what this vehicle can do." North says he feels confident that the MT1 can now tow the revised weight mentioned on its sticker.
But to achieve the higher capacity, there were two main concerns: stopping and moving. Long downhill sections can heat-soak the brakes and lengthen stopping distances, while long ascends have the same effect on the motor and transmission's cooling systems.
To solve the first issue, Telo makes use of a lot of regenerative braking. "We can regen for miles and miles and miles going down a pass; you're not touching your brakes," North explained. Once you reach the bottom, you come out with cooler brakes and an unhindered electric range.
As for going up, the almost instant torque of an electric motor helps a ton. "It is incredible to be on a hill as steep as you can go and you can just jet forward," North stated. Speaking of which, the truck is powered by a dual motor rated at 500 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque.
Of course, it comes as an all-wheel drive, with a 77-kWh standard pack good for 260 miles (418 km) or a 106-kWh long-range pack rated at over 350 miles (563 km). But that figure is only without a trailer at the back. Hitch a proper, flat-fronted travel trailer behind, and you’re looking at around 200 miles (321 km) of range.
Thankfully though, North recognizes that could be a hurdle for those wanting to go long distances with the truck. "It is an amazing tow vehicle for shorter distances," explains North. But "at long range, a big diesel truck is probably going to be better for the near term."
The company recently raised around US$20 million in total, including a Series A headed by Marc Tarpenning, a co-founder of Tesla, and is working to meet government requirements for production readiness. We’re looking at production potentially set to begin by the end of this year.
I’ve seen a lot of people compare the MT1 with Slate’s affordable pickup, but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison by any stretch. Why? Where, on one hand, the Slate comes in at $25k, the cheapest MT1 will reportedly cost $41,520. Sure, they might both be compact electric trucks, but they’d be catering to completely different markets.
Source: Telo
