Ever tried parking a full-size pickup in a crowded city lot? It’s about as fun as threading a needle while wearing oven mitts. That’s why the new Telo MT1 electric truck feels like such a breath of fresh air. This little powerhouse packs serious capability into a package the size of a Mini Cooper, and it might just be the urban truck many of us have been waiting for.
Designer: Telo
Small Truck, Big Ideas
The MT1 started with a simple question: Why are American trucks so darn huge? Jason Marks, Forrest North, and Yves Behar – the trio who founded Telo Trucks in 2022 – looked at the bloated pickup market and saw an opportunity. What if they built a truck that could actually fit in a standard parking space but still haul your stuff?
“Most people who own trucks rarely fill the bed to capacity,” Marks explained during the recent prototype unveiling. “They just need to occasionally move furniture, carry bikes, or haul supplies for weekend projects. We built the MT1 for real-world use.”
The numbers tell the story: At just 152 inches long, this electric pickup is five feet shorter than a Toyota Tacoma. Yet it still seats five adults comfortably and sports a proper 5-foot bed. That’s smart packaging, plain and simple.
Clever Solutions, Not Rocket Science
What makes the MT1 work isn’t fancy technology – it’s thoughtful design. Take the midgate, for example. Need to carry something longer than the bed? Just fold down the wall between the cab and bed, and suddenly, you can fit full sheets of plywood or a couple of surfboards. It’s not a new idea (the old Chevy Avalanche had something similar), but it makes perfect sense here.
Then there’s what Telo calls the “Monster Tunnel”—basically a big storage space that runs underneath the truck from side to side. It’s perfect for stashing tools, sports gear, or anything you don’t want exposed in the bed. Again, it’s not revolutionary, but it is genuinely useful.
Thanks to some clever tricks, the cab itself feels surprisingly roomy. The seats have a floating design so that rear passengers can slide their feet underneath, and the cab-forward layout maximizes interior space. During a recent demo, a 6’5″ journalist fit comfortably in both front and rear seats—not bad for such a small truck.
Practical Power
Under the skin, the MT1 offers two straightforward options: a single-motor rear-wheel drive setup with 300 horsepower or a dual-motor all-wheel drive version with 500 horsepower. Either way, you get plenty of punch – the dual-motor version scoots from 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds.
Battery choices are equally straightforward: a standard pack is good for about 260 miles, or a bigger 106-kWh battery stretches the range to over 350 miles. Fast charging gets you from 20% to 80% in roughly half an hour.
The truck weighs about 4,400 pounds—heavier than a car but significantly lighter than other electric trucks, which typically weigh 6,000-7,000 pounds. This relatively trim figure helps with both range and handling.
Perhaps most impressive is the MT1’s practical capability. It can tow up to 6,600 pounds and carry a payload of between 1,600 and 2,000 pounds in its bed. That’s serious utility from such a small package.
Built Smart
Telo didn’t reinvent the wheel with the MT1’s construction, but they made some smart choices. The chassis combines aluminum with strategic use of carbon fiber in areas where space is tight, like the front firewall and wheel wells. This approach keeps weight down while maintaining strength.
The interior feels modern without being flashy. There are screens for instruments and infotainment, but also physical controls for common functions. Materials include cork and other sustainable options, but the overall vibe is practical rather than showy.
With 10 inches of ground clearance, the MT1 can handle rough roads and light trails without drama. It’s not built for rock crawling, but it’ll get you and your gear to that remote campsite just fine.
From Drawing Board to Driveway
On March 6, 2025, Telo showed off its first working pre-production prototype—a major milestone for any automotive startup. To build these early models, Telo has partnered with Aria Group in California. Aria has experience creating vehicles for movies and limited-production runs, making it a good fit for Telo’s current needs.
The path to your driveway still has some hurdles, though. Telo plans to deliver the first customer trucks in 2026, starting with about 100 vehicles that first year. According to company statements, they’ll need to sell around 5,000 annually to become profitable.
So far, about 5,000 people have put down a $152 reservation fee (cute touch – that matches the truck’s length in inches). That’s encouraging but modest compared to the reservation numbers for trucks from established brands.
What It’ll Cost You
Let’s talk money. The base single-motor MT1 with the standard battery starts at $41,520. Want the dual-motor setup? Add about $4,500. The bigger battery costs another $3,980. So, a fully loaded dual-motor version with the long-range battery will run just under $50,000.
That’s not cheap for a small truck, but it’s about half of what you’d pay for a Tesla Cybertruck. It also undercuts Ford’s E-Transit commercial EV, which starts at around $51,000 but offers less in the range. Federal tax incentives might bring the price down further for some buyers.
Telo sees its customer as someone who lives in the city but escapes on weekends—the urban dweller who occasionally needs to haul stuff but doesn’t want to drive a monster truck daily. This niche currently has few options in the American market.
The Real-World Test
Early test drives of the prototype have been promising. The MT1’s small size makes it a breeze to maneuver in tight spaces – you can actually see all four corners from the driver’s seat, a rarity in modern trucks. The electric powertrain delivers immediate response, and the low center of gravity (thanks to the floor-mounted battery) helps it feel planted on the road.
“It drives like a car but works like a truck,” said one test driver. “You forget it’s a pickup until you need to haul something.”
The suspension balances comfort with capability – it’s not too harsh for daily commuting but firm enough to handle a loaded bed. Regenerative braking allows mostly one-pedal driving, making stop-and-go traffic less of a chore.
Bumps in the Road
Of course, bringing a new vehicle to market is never easy. Telo faces some serious challenges before the MT1 becomes a common sight on our roads.
Money is the big one. While Telo has secured initial funding, making cars requires mountains of cash. The company hasn’t fully explained how it’ll finance full production. They’ll also need to build a sales and service network, which is no small task for a startup.
Safety concerns exist, too. Some wonder if such a small truck can protect occupants in a collision with larger vehicles. Telo says they’re conducting crash tests and have designed specific crumple zones, but they’ll need to prove the MT1’s safety to win over skeptical buyers.
Then, there’s the simple fact that Americans love big trucks. Convincing them to downsize might be the toughest challenge of all, regardless of the practical benefits.
A Truck That Makes Sense
The Telo MT1 isn’t trying to be all things to all people. It won’t replace heavy-duty work trucks or satisfy those who equate vehicle size with personal status. Instead, it offers a sensible alternative for people who need occasional utility without the daily hassles of piloting an oversized vehicle.
“We’re not saying everyone should drive a small truck,” says Marks. “We’re just saying that for many people, especially in urban areas, the MT1 makes more sense than the massive pickups that dominate today’s market.”
Suppose Telo can navigate the treacherous waters of automotive manufacturing and bring the MT1 to market as planned. In that case, they might help solve several problems at once: urban congestion, parking nightmares, excessive resource consumption, and the lack of right-sized utility vehicles in America.
The MT1 feels like a truck designed for how people live rather than how they imagine themselves living. It’s practical, capable, and sensibly sized. Whether that’s enough to succeed in a market that often prioritizes image over practicality remains to be seen, but the MT1 deserves a chance to prove itself on our roads.
As one journalist put it after driving the prototype: “It just makes sense. And in the truck world, that feels surprisingly fresh.”
The post The Telo MT1: A Small Electric Truck That Makes Sense first appeared on Yanko Design.