- Despite its footprint, MT1’s bed is the same size as an electric lobster’s
- Some variants will boast of up to 500 hp
- Silicon Valley Startup says the first units will be sent this year
The world is not friendly to EV-start-ups, with them like Canoo and Lordstown Motors, which succumb to financial pressure, while even established names like Ford and Chevrolet have struggled to find a trapped audience for their battery-powered pick-ups.
But there is a new start-up on stage, and Telo, a Silicon Valley company combined by autonomous driving expert Jason Marks and ex-Tesla Battery Engineer Forrest North, hope to get a name for itself with the mantra that bigger is not always better.
Baptized a “urban adventure vehicle”, the diminishing MT1 has the same footprint as a modern Mini Cooper SE, but boasts Toyota Tacoma levels of practical and load-clevering ability.
Inside, there is enough room for five adults, yet the truck side is larger than a rivational R1T’s, and it’s all down to smart packaging. Without the need for a huge combustion engine or voluminous driftetrain, Telo has been able to maximize the interior and load room.
That said, there must be a warning about the bed as Telos loading space extends into the back seat, with a smart ‘mid-gate’ that slides into place when you want to transport passengers.
According to Telo, the small but mighty electric truck can transport 4ft-by-8ft sheets of plywood and up to 8ft surfboards with a shared rear seat configuration. There is also an extractible tonneau cover to protect the kit and a rivisk-eaque lockable storage tunnel under the bed.
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Despite its small size, Telo claims that it will offer the truck with either the possibility of a 300 hp single motor setup or a monster 500 hp double -motor configuration paired for an equally gargantu -106kWh battery.
It seems to be excessive, but the company wants MT1 to be able to pull 1,600 lbs (about 725 kg) kit and be able to pull 6,600 kg (almost 3,000 kg), while still offering an interval of about 350 miles, as well as the ability to charge from 20-80% in 20 minutes.
Prices start at $ 41,520 (about £ 32,000 / AU $ 66,000) for the individual motor variant and increases to $ 49,019 (about £ 38,000 / AU $ 78,000) for the double engine, all wheel drive model. A smaller, standard battery is included in this price, or customers can set a long range version to an additional $ 3,980.
It comes in eight different colors and can be specified with a handful of neat optional extras, such as a sun -hut -roof, a hardshell bald dock for the rear bed and solar cell panels for tonneau cover.
However, Telo is taking $ 152 reservations right now, which is not a guarantee that this will not just be another flash-in-the-pan electric truck start.
Does Tesla show how it’s done
With a setback against Tesla’s founder and free-speaking CEO in full swing, Cybertruck seems to take the head of everyone’s frustration, with reports of vandalism and even arson in Tesla-Showrooms, when anti-Doge protests break across the United States and Europe.
With its odd angular styling, excessive footprint and dazzling stainless steel body panels, cybertruck looks to represent everything certain pockets in the population can’t stand around Tesla and Musk right now.
Telo, on the other hand, has taken a completely different approach. Instead of focusing on coming up with a bold, undoubtedly selfish statement, the team has started with practicality, and its own slightly clumsy look has naturally followed.
Measurement of a massive five meters (1,524 mm) shorter than the Toyota Tacoma, it still manages to offer a similar amount of Stuven space without road hogging footprint.
Easy to park, simple to step through busy cities and able to roll up their sleeves and get his hands dirty, that’s all cybertruck is not.
