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Heads up world, there’s a new electric vehicle automaker in town and their debut EV is slated to put the entire EV industry on notice. The manufacturer goes by the name of TELO and their electric pickup truck is a compact utility EV that punches way above its weight in terms of size, efficiency, and ingenuity. The forthcoming TELO Truck calls to the outdoor-inclined—like some other new EVs we know—but breaks the mold by being a utility vehicle no larger than a Mini Cooper capable of fitting into the tightest of tight parking spaces. Adventurous city dwellers, rejoice.
Despite being a newcomer, TELO has no shortage of credibility. Founder and CEO, Jason Marks was the chief business development manager at National Instruments and has developed the test systems for five major U.S. automakers’ Autonomy and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems for their 2024 vehicles. Forrest North, a partnering founder and the brand’s CTO, cut his teeth at Tesla where he specialized in developing battery packs and, more specifically, on the Roadster that’s currently making its voyage to Mars. With this duo at the helm and a key collaboration with Yves Béhar and his SF-based design studio, Fuseproject, their vision for a game changing EV truck will soon be a reality.
At first glance, the TELO Truck is reminiscent of the adored Japanese kei-class mini-pickup trucks, or the VW single cabin T2/T3 with its flat front frame and panoramic view. But this isn’t a nostalgia play; the TELO Truck has all the modern touches of a contemporary EV and sports a tri-linear headlight display, specialized wheels, and a distinct body design boldly exposing the front wheel system.
The truck’s main feature is its ability to make use of every inch of its stout frame. From bumper to bumper, the TELO Truck measures 152 inches long. That’s about the size of a Mini Cooper and less than two-thirds the size of a Toyota Tacoma. The truck bed extends 60 inches from the cabin, providing enough room to throw in some gear for a weekend camping trip or supplies that you need to transport across town. What's more, there's a system cleverly built into the mid-partition that opens up and extends the truck bed’s storage space by 50-plus inches, so moving a nine-foot surfboard is as seamless as throwing it on a rack or tossing it in a wagon. If your precious cargo consists of multiple little humans and their friends, then it’s worth looking into the TELO modification that houses the back-half of the truck, accommodating eight passengers with an additional row.
The TELO Truck touts a 350-mile range with each full charge (that's slightly more than a Tesla Model 3) and has a speed charge feature that boosts the truck's charge to upwards of 80% in just 20 minutes. The TELO Truck won’t slow you down on the highway or on the trail either with its 380 r dual-motor equipped with 4WD, 500 horsepower and a respectable (and potentially scary) max speed of 125 mph.
All this might make the TELO Truck the Swiss Army knife of the burgeoning EV world. It combines the capability of your favorite pickup truck, the efficiency of your coveted EV and the flexibility you’d experience in any compact vehicle. The TELO Truck will retail for $50,000 (before accounting for state and federal electric vehicle tax credits) and you can pre-order one today for just $152.
Published 06-13-2023
