Telo, a startup firm based in California, has taken the wraps off its first production vehicle. Called MT1, it is a compact-sized electric truck that manages to accommodate a Toyota Tacoma-sized cargo bed in a body the size of a Mini Cooper. You can already pre-order one.
The company claims that such an advanced and efficient design is only possible thanks to the truck running on electric power alone. Its total body length doesn’t exceed 3,860 mm (150.8 inches or 12.66 feet), but the bed is 1,524 mm (60 inches or 5 feet) long. That’s the same bed length as the Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab offers. An extra compartment for miscellanea resides under the cab floor.
If you take a closer look, you will see that the compact size is mostly achieved thanks to the Telo MT1 lacking a hood or frunk: its cab sits as close as possible to the front end of the platform. The company’s plans for the future involve producing a double-cab version of the truck and a single-space SUV with a similar layout.
The spec sheet mentions multiple electric motors jointly rated at 500 PS (493 hp / 368 kW) and a 106-kWh traction battery sufficient for 560 km (348 miles) of range at most.
The production start date has not been announced yet, but Telo is confident it can sell the MT1 starting from just $49,999.