Yet, another startup has entered the EV truck manufacturing arena. Called TELO, the Silicon Valley EV company plans on selling a mini truck with a difference. The difference is obvious; it’s a cab-forward design with virtually no front overhang. But the other difference is power.

Let’s be honest, most of these mini trucks and city cars are underpowered. They’re meant for inner city transportation, where speeds rarely are over 25 mph. They are built for a particular purpose. But that purpose compromises the versatility to make highway and freeway treks. 

Who is behind the TELO EV mini truck?

The startup is the creation of Jason Marks, the leader of National Instruments’ ADAS/Autonomous testing, and former Tesla engineer and COO of Recargo/Plugshare Forrest North. TELO’s aim is for a small, tight truck and SUV platform with dual motors capable of delivering 500 hp. Now we’re talking. 

Estimates for the mini pickup come in at 0-60 mph time of four seconds and a 125 mph top speed. The range will be 350 miles, with a 20% to 80% charge taking under 20 minutes. That means an average charge of 190 kW. 

How small is the TELO EV truck?

Now for the size, yes, it’s small, at 152 inches. For comparison, that’s six and one-half feet shorter than a Ford F-150. Or, about the same length as a Mini. But it’s hefty, weighing 4,400 lbs. At higher speeds, it should still offer stable maneuverability with that kind of low center of gravity. 

Focussing just on the bed, there are some surprising numbers. The TELO bed is the same length as a crew cab Toyota Tacoma bed. It’s also six inches longer than the Rivian bed and is the same as the Hummer’s bed, without the danger of carrying around 10,000 lbs of flab. And it will seat five passengers. 

How does the design find the extra space?

There was a lot of slicing and dicing to juggle these parameters, and TELO readily admits that some design decisions are “good enough to be amazing, but we don’t have to be the best.” “How so?” you may ask. Its battery is 50% more space efficient than the industry standard. 

Also, it uses lower-amperage connections to save space, finding it unnecessary to set any performance contests. And the complete lack of front overhang is so that all of the footprint offers usable space. To that end, the annoy-looking venting between the doors directs tire turbulence past the exposed wheels. 

How much is the TELO EV mini truck?

And the rear seat back is the front bed panel, eliminating extra materials and weight. But it also serves as a midgate. Swung down, it lines up with the rest of the bed to haul long cargo or 4×8-foot plywood sheets. So for such a small package, there’s a lot of versatility and functional design.

If there’s anything that casts a pall over the whole enterprise, it’s cost. TELO estimates the mini truck will come in at around $50,000 before any incentives. The company may counter this by offering a single-motor version with a smaller battery. But all of this is still in the planning stages.

The timeline according to Electrek, is for prototypes by later this year, have a bonafide press demonstrator before the end of 2023, with crash testing and analysis through 2024, and finally, 500 trucks in 2025. Right now, TELC is taking pre-orders at $152, should you be so inclined.