Telo Trucks, a California startup with about 30 employees, is developing a small electric pickup called the MT1 that it says can match the capability of much larger trucks. The company, based in San Carlos, California, was founded in 2022 by cofounder and CEO Jason Marks, cofounder and CTO Forrest North, and industrial designer Yves Behar, whose firm fuseproject handles design work. The MT1, which stands for mini truck, measures the same length as a two-door Mini Cooper but offers a 96-inch bed, an 8,000-pound tow rating and an estimated 0-60 mph time of four seconds, according to Marks.
The truck uses a nearly cab-over layout that places front-seat passengers almost directly above the front axle, giving it a resemblance to Japanese kei trucks. Telo says the battery pack mounted under the floor provides a low center of gravity and a stable though firm ride. A midgate behind the passenger seats folds flat to extend the bed to its full 96-inch length. Because the MT1 lacks a front trunk, Telo designed a pass-through compartment beneath the front of the bed, large enough for two roll-aboard carry-on suitcases to fit endwise.
At launch, the MT1 will offer a 77kWh battery pack or a larger 106kWh pack that Telo estimates will deliver up to 350 miles of range. The pack uses a split architecture with both 800V and 400V systems, allowing charging on Tesla's V3 Supercharger network at 400V and on newer higher-powered stations at 800V. Telo builds the packs in-house, fusing each cell individually so a single failure cannot spread through the pack. The company says passive thermal management runs while the truck is parked and active liquid cooling engages while it is driving.
Marks previously worked on automotive safety and validation at National Instruments, while North is a former Tesla battery engineer who founded the electric motorcycle company Mission Motors and cofounded Recargo, which developed the EV charging app PlugShare. The founders originally planned to build an electric motorcycle, but after a pitch to an unnamed Silicon Valley venture firm and an informal poll of about 200 people, nearly 90 percent of whom preferred a small truck, they shifted direction the following week.
North argues that large pickups have grown too big and that smaller trucks are safer for cities, citing roughly 5,000 additional deaths per year that he attributes to big trucks. The company's push comes as Japanese kei vehicles drew attention after President Donald Trump invited such tiny trucks to be built in the United States, though kei vehicles do not meet US crash safety regulations. Marks claims Telo has addressed that obstacle through a new front end and an innovative front hinge pillar, and says the interior will include two 13-inch displays supporting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
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