Telo MT1

Telo MT1; The tiny truck that said: “Hold My Beer”

How a California Startup Crammed a Full-Size Ego into a Mini Cooper’s Body

I used to scrap; it was either standing-up for yourself or keeping your head down and go through life unnoticed. When the hormones calmed down from the raging rapids to canoe-able river (I’m more of a babbling brook these days), I was less apt to scrap. Now I’ll never claim to be a Knockaround guy but a line in the movie stuck with me:

“500….500 fights, that’s the number I figured when I was a kid. 500 street fights and you could consider yourself a legitimate tough guy. You need them for experience. To develop leather skin. So I got started. Of course, along the way you stop thinking about being tough and all that. It stops being the point. You get past the silliness of it all. But then after, you realize that’s what you are.” ¹

Now, substitute the word “fights” for “horsepower” and you have the MT1 AWD.

If you’ve ever been in any corporate meeting you know how fearful and unimaginative a place they can be. Imagine someone at a truck design meeting stood up and said, “What if we built a pickup truck, but useful?” There’s a strong chance that they would have been kicked out of the room. They would have gone home and after securing kitchen-table approval. that brave soul would be reminiscent of the one who started Telo Trucks.

Size matters especially when it’s prohibitive

The MT1 is a Mini Cooper-sized electric pickup with a bed the same size as a Hummer EV’s, despite being nothing close to the size of those trucks.  Read that sentence again, push away, take a walk, come back. It still says the same thing.

At only 152 inches long, the MT1 manages to provide buyers with the bed space of a mid-sized pickup, a five-foot bed just as long as the Toyota Tacoma’s cargo box, with a folding mid-gate that stretches storage space to eight feet. That means a 4×8 sheet of plywood can lay down flat with the tailgate closed.  American trucks have been getting bigger for decades to haul things most owners never haul. The Telo just… actually hauls things. Rude, honestly.

The 2WD & AWD versions’ specifications

Performance: Small Dog, Big Bite

With 500 horsepower in its dual-motor configuration, the MT1 hits 0–60 mph in about 4 seconds and tops out at 124 mph.  For a truck the size of a city parking space, that’s genuinely alarming. You could be rear-ended by something that looks like a Fisher-Price toy doing highway speeds, and you’d deserve it for underestimating it.

The base model offers 300 hp with an estimated 260 miles of range, while a larger battery stretches range to an estimated 350 miles for an extra $3,980, and the dual-motor powertrain runs $4,769 more.  So you can build yourself a surprisingly capable truck for well under $50,000, which in today’s EV market feels like finding a $10 bill in your old jeans.

At 250 kW fast charging, the MT1 can add about 210 miles of range in just 20 minutes. That’s faster than it takes most people to decide what to order at a truck stop diner.

The Design: Form Follows “Wait, Where’s the Hood?”

The MT1 uses a cab-over design; the driver sits above the front axle like a European delivery van, which is exactly the energy needed for a truck that’s also technically the same length as a hatchback. The 14-inch crumple zone meets U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, an impressive feat for a cab-over truck design. The low-profile battery pack, just 4 inches thick, keeps the centre of gravity low, improving handling and stability. Just look how it measures up against a Chevrolet Volt:

The “monster tunnel”, Telo’s version of Rivian’s gear tunnel, is a lockable storage space under the bed. It’s called the monster tunnel because, like a monster, it’s under the bed.  (The Telo team clearly has a great sense of humor, which is either reassuring or a red flag for an EV startup.)

But what if you’re tall? Look, I’m tall but we’re talking really tall. At a recent press preview, a 6’10″ journalist reported he “fit fine.”  So if you’re worried about headroom, you’re probably fine. If you’re worried about ego room driving something this small, you might need therapy.

Pre-launch pricing (USD)

How does this mighty might fare vs. the competition

MT1 vs. the premium overlander: Rivian R1T

The R1T is, frankly, a stunning truck. The Quad Motor produces an otherworldly 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 pound-feet of torque, and can hit 0–60 in 2.5 seconds.  It also starts at $74,885 including destination fees.  For that money, you get a gorgeous, proven, trail-capable truck that can also tow 11,000 pounds and charm your neighbors.

What you don’t get is the ability to park it in a normal city spot without a spotter and a prayer. The Telo fits where the Rivian fears to tread. The R1T’s gear tunnel is roomier than the Telo’s monster tunnel, and its overall capability ceiling is higher but you’re paying 50% more. The Telo is the Rivian for people who want the idea of a Rivian but live in a city where the R1T would be miserable.

MT1 vs. the groundbreaker: Tesla Cybertruck AWD

The Cybertruck’s slab-sided, angular stainless-steel exoskeleton stretches a full 223.7 inches and is 80 inches wide, it starts at $69,990 for the dual-motor AWD.  It looks like it was designed by someone who never left a video game. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering and a bizarre choice for anyone who needs to park downtown or maintain friendships.

The Telo and the Cybertruck share almost nothing except electrons and the general concept of “truck.” One is an aggressive wedge of the near-future that Elon Musk once called a “futuristic truck” in a press release. The other is a compact, practical hauler designed by people who’ve actually tried to parallel park. Your mileage and your political opinions may vary.

MT1 vs. the bare-bones budget option: Slate Truck

Now here’s a fascinating opponent. The Slate starts at $24,950 and omits features like an infotainment system, speakers, and power windows. All vehicles are produced with an unpainted gray polypropylene exterior, with vinyl wraps as the only offered exterior color option.  It’s the truck equivalent of a Ikea flat-pack: you bring the personality.

The Slate uses a single motor producing 181 hp, a 65 kWh battery offering 205 miles of range, and can tow 2,000 pounds.  It’s backed by Jeff Bezos, which either gives you confidence or makes you wonder if it’ll start listening to your conversations.

Against the Telo, the Slate wins on price but loses on almost every performance metric. The Telo has more power, more range, more towing, faster charging, it comes with a stereo and is available in more than just slate grey paint. If you’re choosing between the two, the Slate is for the minimalist who wants a truck. The Telo is for someone who wants a truck that happens to be small.

Even good ideas need backing

Telo has raised $27.8M total, with a $20M Series A closed in September 2025. First deliveries are targeted for late 2026, with the first ~500 units planned via a US bay-build process.  To put that in perspective: Rivian raised $13.7 billion before delivering its first truck. Telo is doing this on a shoestring by comparison, and that is both inspiring and slightly terrifying.

Telo has 12,000+ pre-orders and positive press from outlets like MotorTrend, and has now secured a manufacturing partnership with Schwab Industries for body-in-white production.  The hard parts like crash certification, mass manufacturing, and actually getting trucks to humans are still ahead. The EV startup graveyard is well-populated (Fisker, Lordstown, Canoo), and Telo is acutely aware of this.

Verdict: The Most Interesting Truck You Can’t Buy Yet

The Telo MT1 is the rare concept that makes you slap your forehead and say “why didn’t someone do this sooner?” It’s a truck-sized idea inside a hatchback-sized package, with real specs that can hold its own against midsize rivals. It’s cheaper than a Rivian, more practical than a Cybertruck, and more capable than a Slate.

The $152 refundable deposit, cleverly equal to the truck’s length in inches, remains a low-risk way to get in line. Just don’t cancel your current car insurance quite yet. If Telo pulls this off, it’ll be one of the best automotive success stories in years. If it doesn’t, at least you’ll have something to talk about at the next EV meetup.