26 ms·

Telo MT1

• deadbabe 1y ago
  how are you supposed to put some big tires on this thing
• dfee 1y ago
  > We're tired of oversized, impractical trucks designed for show over substance. I wonder if Telo is attempting to define a new category. Substance in a truck, in my lived opinion, is about utility. Towing capacity, ruggedness, ability to go (very) off road. An electric power train shows promise, but is limited by infra. If that’s not the target, then maybe it’s a different target, such as San Francisco residents where space is limited and a slight nod to utility is adequate. Further down the peninsula, and specifically in the Santa Cruz mountains, this is less interesting. I can’t imagine this for outdoor (e.g. mountain biking) or project oriented (e.g. landscaping) people. So back to the top: if they’re marketing substance over show, maybe they’re really marketing to people who desire show over substance. Edit: let me also throw in my drive down to the bottom tip of Baja a few months ago. The roads were rough in places, and I definitely went off road to reach some interesting places. It reminded me of some rough terrain and roads in Wyoming and Oklahoma - truck states. Without big wheels and tough suspension - I wouldn’t take a Telo.
  • laurencerowe 1y ago
    What would be the limitation that prevents you from mountain biking? It seems to have a similar sized bed to a Tacoma? I’m unsure why people think they need such big vehicles for outdoors sports. We drove thousands of miles around Europe with 4 kayaks on the roof of a Ford Fiesta. Or you can easily fit three mountain bikes on a rear bike rack.
    • garciasn 1y ago
      I need to tow a 5000lb boat 300 miles without charging and I need to fit 6 passengers. It needs to be $30K or less. I realize Europeans have a much different understanding of distance and cargo needs; I do. But, 300 miles and 6 passengers is a pretty common requirement here in the US.
      • TulliusCicero 1y ago
        I'm American and this sounds really off. AFAIK pickups in the US typically have space for five passengers, not six. And good luck finding new pickups that can tow 5000 lbs under 30k; as a category, pickups have experienced quite a lot of price inflation, as I understand it.
        • garciasn 1y ago
          Right. What I’m saying is if you’re going to make a compact car with a bed, it better cost less than a pickup.
      • chipsa 1y ago
        No pickup will do that. Even crew cab pickups normally max out at 5 people (4 passengers), because there is no bench seat up front anymore. Even a Ford Maverick is $30k or so, and that won’t tow a 5000lb boat. Max listed towing is 4klb.
      • raddan 1y ago
        Why without charging? Are there time constraints? I often find that I want to take a break after a couple hours of driving, and even when I drove a gas vehicle, those breaks would be 30-40 minutes long unless it was an exceptionally long day of driving. With a little planning I’ve found that I can do 90% of the trips in my EV that I used to do in my gas car. I probably can’t replicate the couple 1000-mile-in-one-day trips I did in my previous vehicle, but those experiences also made me not want to. FWIW, in the last two years alone I have driven my EV from MA to Nova Scotia and back, MA to Iowa and back, MA to MD and back, and all over the eastern seaboard (trips to the Adirondacks, WV, etc). Lately I have not even had to plan anymore. It was surprising to discover that I could plug my car (a Bolt) into a GM charger in Indiana this summer and not even need to fiddle with an app. Things have improved dramatically for road trips in the last two years, and I have probably one of the slowest charging cars out there. Really, the only thing stopping me from buying an EV pickup is that I don’t want to pay that much for a vehicle with such an absurdly small bed. My Bolt can pull a small trailer just fine.
        • 1y ago
    • dfee 1y ago
      I also used to throw my mountain bike on the back of my sports car! It was, in retrospect, ridiculous. I’ve also seen a motorcyclist having a bike mounted on a hitch! Optimization for tiny isn’t a factor in the big outdoors. Indeed, I see more people in Sprinter vans than Teslas by mountain biking hot spots. So it’s not about “could you”, it’s about comfort and practicality of anything / everything else you may want to do beyond just lugging a bike to a trail. Such as: the optionality to go truly off road - in the vehicle not on the bike.
    • esseph 1y ago
      Depends on what you're in to, but there's a HUGE amount of land in the US and a lot of lakes and mountains don't have paved roads to them. (Check out Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, etc.)
  • garciasn 1y ago
    A $41K ($46K for AWD) “truck” is absurd. This isn’t a viable option for Americans, at all.
    • stingrae 1y ago
      $41k is not an absurd starting price for a truck. Look at f150 prices, starting at 39k.
    • jmspring 1y ago
      People are buying Rivians that cost much more.
      • garciasn 1y ago
        People who can afford $100K+ for a new one and $65K+ for a used one are not most people.
        • jmspring 1y ago
          Many people finance cars well beyond their means…
    • doctorhandshake 1y ago
      I’m not sure what you mean. The 2025 F150 starts at $39k. https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/ https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/
      • garciasn 1y ago
        This isn’t a F150; it’s a mini with a bed. They’re apples to oranges.
      • kotaKat 1y ago
        Slate is targeting mid-twenties and has over 70+ prototypes vehicles on the road. Last I checked Telo has... one prototype? Telo's doomed, anyways.
  • jcrawfordor 1y ago
    A tremendous portion of the truck market are people who live in urban to suburban areas and need to move things. For that audience, the ability to fit a 4x8' plywood sheet easily puts this ahead of a surprising number of conventional trucks on utility. The 2k lbs payload on the 2WD drive model is more than a Tacoma and some configurations of the F150, for example, popular models that also don't fit a 4x8 sheet without strapping it down over the cab or another awkward technique. It also lists a towing cap of 6,600 which is competitive with many production pickups. There's a divide in needs between off-roading and moving things around, and this seems oriented in the moving things around direction. I can easily see it working for a landscaper in a suburban environment, for example, where the driving miles per day are really not that high and 6,600 is plenty for a typical landscaper's trailer. From everything I've seen, true off-roading applications are a pretty small portion of the overall truck market, and one that many popular trucks right now are also poorly optimized for (popular 2WD configurations, middling clearances, etc).
    • mlyle 1y ago
      I just put down a deposit. I make things from plywood sometimes, and even in my wife's R1S it's a pain. When we don't take the R1S, all 5 of us have to fit in my car (Honda Clarity). I coach robotics teams and sometimes need to haul a lot of stuff. Sometimes we do some light offroading in the R1S. Looks like this will do all the things I need OK. I would like to drive something small and easy to park, that I could offroad a bit, carry my family a bit, haul stuff a bit. And I've always liked the weird aesthetic of kei trucks and things like the Jeep Forward Control.
  • darknavi 1y ago
    The CEO pretty clearly says it's meant to be a city truck with small size but just as much utility (or more) than something like a Tacoma. https://youtu.be/pw250Va1JFo?t=469 https://youtu.be/pw250Va1JFo?t=469
    • gfs 1y ago
      I'm failing to see how this could have as much or more utility than a Tacoma. I don't see any mention of towing or payload. Not to mention, the clearance will be limiting for anyone who wants to venture off road at all.
      • mlyle 1y ago
        Payload's around 1700-2000 pounds, TBD. Towing is possible but limited-- this is a weak point for all electric vehicles-- but good enough to haul a trailer to the dump or a boat a small distance. But the bed is better in some ways than the Tacoma. Big question is whether they can reach production and really deliver for this pricing, etc. They have ~11k preorders and could develop a lot more.
  • numpad0 1y ago
    > I wonder if Telo is attempting to define a new category. It's a Kei truck. That's not a new thing. Online discourses categorizing Telo as one leads to people pointing out Kei are equipped with weaker engines for legal reasons, that doesn't matter. US finally started making its own Kei truck.
    • ColonelPhantom 1y ago
      I would say "kei" does pretty specifically refer to vehicles adhering to those Japanese regulations. I think "minitruck" or "compact truck" would be a better, more general name.
• TheGuyWhoCodes 1y ago
  Very little information about safety other than marketing speak "Utilizing the latest in advanced safety technology—sensors to predict and classify collisions before they happen, airbags, and structural technology—to make our vehicles safer for everyone on the road." Have they never heard of a crumple zone?
  • null0ranje 1y ago
    I'm pretty skeptical of the safety as well. It's also pretty hard to judge where there don't seem to be any actual photographs of the vehicle, only computer renderings. I would love a small truck like this, but I would honestly buy an old Tacoma or Ranger before even considering buying this on spec. *edit: digging around I did find some footage on YouTube with actual vehicles. I'm definitely skeptical on the safety now.
    • k12sosse 1y ago
      '22 rangers are in a sweet spot right now.
  • chipsa 1y ago
    You think a crumple zone isn’t required by current FMVSS, which they are designing against? That is, in fact, what they referred to with “ structural technology”.
• treetalker 1y ago
  The real question is whether it's compatible with standard truck nuts: if not, the Florida market will remain inaccessible.
  • api 1y ago
    I was thinking a while back about how you could roll coal in an EV. Maybe a huge Tesla coil throwing lightning everywhere would be analogous? Or a giant Jacob’s ladder?
    • derektank 1y ago
      Spark gap ozone generator
      • zikduruqe 1y ago
        ... proceeds to throw harmonics from DC to daylight
    • maxerickson 1y ago
      Seems like the Cybertruck is sort of that. Maybe a few people get some functionality out of the design.
    • fruitworks 1y ago
      I was thinking the same thing. You need some way of conveying the power associated with electric cars, not just efficiency
• geuis 1y ago
  Who is the target market here? * Purely subjective opinion: It's ugly as hell. The front of vehicles isn't just for engines, it's also for aerodynamics. * It's crazy expensive. * The bed looks too short to be practically useful. * The wheels look comically small. * The ground clearance doesn't seem to make it useful for more than suburban and urban road environments.
  • deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  • wpm 1y ago
    > It's ugly as hell. So is a Ford Transit van? Who cares. This is a work truck. > The bed looks too short to be practically useful. The bed is 5 ft long. From TF website: "Same truck bed length as the Toyota Tacoma. Larger than a Rivian R1T." > The wheels look comically small. They look fine? How big should they be? > The ground clearance doesn't seem to make it useful for more than suburban and urban road environments. Oh, so they designed it for the environments it was...designed to be used in? And the same environments most macho big boy trucks spend 99% of their life in? What's the problem here? Honestly, what's your problem? Why is your comment so harshly negative? You can't fathom a target market for this because you don't seem to be in it?
  • bastawhiz 1y ago
    I'm the target market. - I think it looks fine - I don't need a full sized bed for anything I'd be transporting - Tricked out it's a little over half the cost of an R1T Dual and $10K less than a comparable F150 Lightning upgraded to the long range battery - The wheels are small because it's a small truck. Big wheels would look ridiculous. - This isn't a truck for off roading or unmaintained dirt roads. What would I use this truck for? - towing a motorcycle trailer - Picking up stuff from Costco that won't fit in my trunk - Buying and transporting dirt, gravel, and stone for my yard - Going up to my cabin with my partner and two friends and having enough room to seat everyone and have room for all the luggage
    • matthewfcarlson 1y ago
• kart23 1y ago
  why are there no pictures of the backseat? tired of cars with four doors and backseats made exclusively for children. and they say it can fit 8 people???
  • matthewfcarlson 1y ago
    You can go on YouTuber and find reviews of the car and most people seem to say the backseat is fairly roomy (the one 6'5" reviewer said he fit). I put a reservation down a few months ago and at 6' (1.9 m for the sane people), I'm really banking on that one off-hand comment.
  • chipsa 1y ago
    The third row is just planned. They do not have any publicly available views of it, and the currently non-removable back glass of the prototypes inhibit actually installing and using them.
• numpad0 1y ago
  > 152 in Length 73 in Width 66 in Height This is 3860 x 1854 x 1676mm, or 14% x 25% x -16% bigger than Japanese Kei car specifications(3400 x 1480 x 2000mm max.) Closest match in features among Kei cars would be Daihatsu Hijet Deck Van, except that one is 465mm / 18" shorter that this having an awkwardly short 880mm / 35" long bed.
  • doctorpangloss 1y ago
    well, one thing you'll learn from their marketing is that Mini Coopers are kind of big
• _ea1k 1y ago
  People tend to focus on demand, but just getting vehicles like this into production at a profitable cost often turns out to be impossible. It is a 10-15k/year product at best. How does an independent maker get that profitable at <$50k, despite all the costs of setting up a sales and service network?
  • graeber_28927 1y ago
    On one hand I agree. It makes me sad but I'm skeptical they are going to make it. On the other hand, electric cars seem to be relatively "easy" to build. Sure, Fisker went bankrupt, but Rivian seems to do sort of fine. Xiaomi even managed to build a car, and I actually saw one of them by chance charging next to me today. Seems to me like a lot more newcomers succeed in getting cars built, than was and is the case with ICE cars.
  • doctorpangloss 1y ago
    most profit in autos is in personalization and financing, which in principle you can do at any scale, with whatever fixed costs. I believe these guys are building on top of a Subaru with vendor motors. that said, the problem with these utilitarian vehicles is that they appeal to people who buy cars once every 20 years, whereas most of the industry is serving the very large, very abundant population of Americans buying 2 cars every 2 years
• grokx 1y ago
  This made me think about the bagnole, which seems to target the same kind of market: https://kilow.com/en/pages/la-bagnole https://kilow.com/en/pages/la-bagnole
  • speedgoose 1y ago
    6kWh (or 12 in option) is quite a lot less than 106kWh tough.
  • devmor 1y ago
    83 mile range vs 250+, max speed of 50MPH vs 100+, 20HP vs up to 400HP, only seats 2 and a tiny bed. I don't think this is remotely the same market.
• fumar 1y ago
  This is a breath of fresh air. Modern pick up trucks post-2017 are giant vehicles with high danger to pedestrians. They are often touted as off road capable with high utility, and I see them in pristine condition on city streets hauling a totality of one human. Good overviews of the truck https://youtu.be/aEq-vTLimrQ?si=fS-UhjndoWuxwBip https://youtu.be/aEq-vTLimrQ?si=fS-UhjndoWuxwBip https://youtu.be/1OgN_qctcGs?si=nEysWQHzafRpxfRp https://youtu.be/1OgN_qctcGs?si=nEysWQHzafRpxfRp
  • jonplackett 1y ago
    I wonder what this is like for driver safety though - not a lot of crumple zone in that nose!
    • kimixa 1y ago
      Not as much crumple zone as you might think in a "traditional" truck if most of the space is full of a solid metal block
      • disqard 1y ago
        You're both right! I noticed the lack of a "crumple zone" the instant I saw the image. ...and a moment later, I also realized it's usually a solid engine block that sits there. I shudder to think of what actually happens when that zone "crumples". Back to the Telo MT1, it's great that they redesigned it from the ground up, around it being an EV -- it's like the Phelps Tractor having reins, and then somebody asking "why does it need to have reins if there's no horse?"
        • apparent 1y ago
          > ...and a moment later, I also realized it's usually a solid engine block that sits there. I shudder to think of what actually happens when that zone "crumples". I believe the engine drops down and the rest crumples inward, at least in theory.
        • Spooky23 1y ago
• lazycouchpotato 1y ago
  There's a video walkthrough of all its "quirks and features", of which there are plenty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYe-QNRkdz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYe-QNRkdz8
  • layer8 1y ago
    Too few physical controls on the dashboard.
    • ghushn3 1y ago
      Welcome to 2025.
• tills13 1y ago
  Can't wait to see what mental gymnastics are done to make this illegal or heavily taxed in some US States.
  • mrtesthah 1y ago
    That will only happen if the right-wing propagandists manage to turn these into a wedge issue. But ultimately more EV cars and trucks (as opposed to e-bikes) won’t threaten the car-dependent culture that enables the population-density-driven fear or urban culture driving their narratives to begin with.
    • gotoeleven 1y ago
      The extreme regulation of automobiles in the US is entirely from the left, specifically from people who dislike cars and want everyone on public transit (except for the few special people of course).
      • mrtesthah 1y ago
        Why do you think cars are so hated? Just curious if you could steel-man what you believe their arguments against cars to be, so I know we’re on the same page of understanding.
        • tills13 1y ago
          They are loud, smelly, dangerous, and are often at odds with spaces designed for people. Car spaces are devoid of character & comfort.
• jimmoores 1y ago
  Wow, that is one ugly vehicle. It looks like it's been in an accident.
• sheepscreek 1y ago
  I love the fantastic designs and form factors popping up in mini-EV truck/SUV space. My worry is for the business feasibility for these. Why isn’t Tesla making these? They have the supply chain and expertise to easily pull it off and they’d be such a big hit. People switching to them for light cargo would be a REAL contribution in cutting use of carbon. I can think of one possibility. At Tesla’s scale, production becomes feasible only if they can produce X million units. This is because setting up production tooling, supply chain channels, and other associated costs is prohibitively expensive. Additionally, the demand for these vehicles will be relatively low until influential YouTubers in the construction, farming, and rural sectors become advocates and start promoting them. In my opinion, electric vehicles (EVs) are perfectly suited for this task. They are ideal for transporting heavy items between nearby destinations, such as moving Home Depot supplies to a construction site or Costco products to a restaurant or store. A range of even 200 miles is practical for this use-case and keeps the cost low (MT1 is a beast by my standard). For clarification, I am all for more competition. But I am also selfish and I really want this segment to become wildly successful . In any case, I really and truly hope they can make the business case work and be profitable/sustainable.
  • Dig1t 1y ago
    They have to solve a real problem for people hauling cargo, they don’t really do that as they currently exist. They get significantly worse range when hauling than a normal gas or diesel truck, their only benefit is making feel better about their carbon footprint. I was legit considering getting an F150 lighting for a little while but when I saw how much your range decreases when towing something it became obvious that it’s not really practical. It’s just objectively worse at hauling than a gas car. Hopefully we see more battery tech breakthroughs that make electric trucks viable work vehicles.
    • disentanglement 1y ago
      They are cheaper to run almost everywhere (depending on the cost of electricity versus gas of course). No breakthrough in battery technology needed for that.
• siva7 1y ago
  It's aesthetically not pleasing in my eyes. They even have a comparison with ford trucks on their page and all i'm thinking is yeah i'd take that ford instantly over that thing.
  • jonahx 1y ago
    It looks like a pug: https://i.imgur.com/omF3Abn.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/omF3Abn.jpeg
• SilverElfin 1y ago
  What’s the range when loaded with things or people? That’s what matters. I find that most EVs have too many impracticalities to be convenient. For a fixed commute, sure. But for versatility, absolutely not.
  • 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 1y ago
    This guy did tests in a different EV truck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmKf8smvGsA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmKf8smvGsA The results were: 1. Adding weight to the bed, if it doesn't affect aerodynamics, doesn't affect highway range much. For stop-and-go traffic I assume the range would get worse, but he didn't test it. 2. Adding a big air pusher to an otherwise empty trailer murders the range 3. Adding an aerodynamic car or truck on a trailer is better for your range than the air pusher I do wish it was a hybrid. Maybe small companies don't have the knowledge built up to make a good hybrid drivetrain but hell, Edison is going for it. They're planning to build logging trucks with a diesel generator under the hood as prime mover for a series plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It looks very practical and their initial tests show it tows great. (Since that's their entire selling point, they'd have to fold if it couldn't haul logs)
• levocardia 1y ago
  I am glad to see EV companies doing something different, aesthetically. In this particular case I do not like it -- at all -- but I much prefer a high-variance aesthetic distribution to the genetic every-car-looks-the-same world we have now, sans a tiny few exceptions. The side compartment under the bed / in front of the rear wheel is pretty cool too.
• baby_souffle 1y ago
  I spoke to them a lot at OpenSauce. - The body panels were composite but they want to go to stamped metal for production. - It's based off of the subaru ascent; at least most of the frame and suspension is. - NMC chemistry, didn't get an OEM name for the actual cell/pouch though. - Mostly off the shelf Bosch power-train components. Will be interesting to see a tear-down once they're for sale. - No commitment on how "open" the vehicle will be to modifications. They have designed in attachment points for upgrades but it didn't seem to be anywhere as extensive as what Slate is doing. This makes some sense; they have a more "finished" vision where Slate is intentionally taking the "our vision is for you to buy the canvas from us and then make it your own" approach. On that last point, I don't think Slate has released anything substantial either w/r/t the CAN bus either. As far as I know, their plan is still a BYOD approach for the head-unit so here's hoping that it'll be relatively straight forward to interrogate the busses from an android or linux device. The Telo had a head-unit integrated so who knows how much control you'll have over the vehicle.
  • cduzz 1y ago
    I wonder if there's some business model like a mixture of send-cut-send and TSMC where a "FAB" agrees to stamp out 3000 fenders/doors/roofs and ship them to the customer (who then puts together the cars and paints them and such). This is similar to what lotus did to help bootstrap tesla... And hey, maybe tesla's going to have some spare capacity lying around so they could be that FAB... ? I personally really want this truck to succeed. I'd happily trade in my 10 year old model S for this; it'd make dump runs and trips to the garden / home centers a lot easier than in the S... I do wish they'd go full eccentric and use a citroen inspired oil suspension...
    • mitthrowaway2 1y ago
      Isn't that exactly what the automotive component suppliers (Magna, Bosch, Denso, Aisin, etc) do?
      • cenamus 1y ago
        I mean, isn't that literally just a supplier?
• macinjosh 1y ago
  way too expensive for its size and capability
• lend000 1y ago
  As much as I like the novelty of the design, there isn't much of a crumple zone for a head on collision. I could see the wheel placement making this a fun off-road vehicle, though.
  • CarVac 1y ago
    The crumple zone is 20", same as a normal car. What there isn't is anything else aside from the crumple zone, enabling it to be so short.
    • lend000 1y ago
      Interesting, thanks for clarifying.
• markbao 1y ago
  This is cool I guess but I don’t get why some of these electric car companies have to design cars that look like toys. Rivian and this. It looks like a golf cart with a flatbed. I think an electric kei truck would have a huge market in the US but the design needs some work to be taken seriously. There’s something to be said for being distinctive, but you can do that while not looking silly (Lucid is a good example). And simply being a small electric truck is enough differentiation anyway
  • turnsout 1y ago
    To 99% of consumers in the US, kei trucks look like toys, so I'm not sure that's the best example. Honestly, if you look at the truck market, it's dominated by masculine designs like the F-150. Arguably this has created a gap in the market for designs that are more compact and approachable. It may never be the majority, but TELO looks perfectly suited to address that niche.
    • markbao 1y ago
      Kei trucks are small but they look like a workhorse in a similar way to a classic Hilux giving them a respectability that I think this design lacks. I agree there should be more approachable designs, just seems like this went way too far in the direction of toy-like
    • HeyLaughingBoy 1y ago
      I find it amusing that people are discussing the masculine design language and how men driving trucks are overcompensating (OK, not so much in this particular thread), but for as long as I can remember, it's been women that have always told me that they prefer bigger vehicles.
  • 01100011 1y ago
    I just want my 2000 Toyota Tacoma but with a small EV(0-60 in 10s is fine, 150hp is fine, 200mi range is fine).
    • cushychicken 1y ago
• yahoozoo 1y ago
  Looks like a Kei truck
• rsync 1y ago
  I immediately searched the site for interior pictures and had my pessimism confirmed ... it's a design-free interior with no physical controls. At least they kept the stalks on the steering column ...
  • matcha-video 1y ago
    Also what's up with the knit dashboard?
  • softgrow 1y ago
    At least it has a steering wheel. Wait until that disappears to be replaced by a joystick or worse still a USB port, bring your own mouse.
  • NoWayJoWei 1y ago
    They partnered with Yves Behar for the exterior and interior design, so the current version leans more on the design over function side of things. The interior is getting a whole revamp for the actual units that'll go to customers. One of the things I confirmed is they're going with physical buttons below the screen. The door cards will be slimmed down, and they won't use cork like it currently does.
    • saint-loup 1y ago
      It's interesting to note that Béhar has founder credit for Telo Trucks, he's not a one-shot contractor. I guess his designs studio is involved with the new version as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telo_Trucks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telo_Trucks
• jeffbee 1y ago
  Is there some reason they have to make these have 300 or 500hp? Or is there nothing to be gained in terms of cost and weight from having, say, 90hp (like my completely functional Mighty Max had).
  • neogodless 1y ago
    For the most part there is a floor with EVs where if you go small in battery, weight, and motor... You have a golf cart, not nearly enough range. As you increase each of those, a larger motor will probably be more efficient for propelling a heavier load with a larger battery. Because of the instant torque plus high speeds of an EV motor, it's not hard at all to have high HP figures.
• barbegal 1y ago
  The reason why we don't generally have vehicles this small any more is because they don't pass crash tests so I'm wondering how this fares in a crash test. I can't see any way this could be sold in Europe unless there's some very clever engineering to make the front end more resilient in a crash.
  • ColonelPhantom 1y ago
    I guess modern crash safety does require decent crumple zones, but I'm not sure in how far Europe is different than North America in this. If anything, small vehicles aren't a thing in NA, but extremely popular still in Europe, even though SUVification is also happening here. There's plenty of small cars left, like the Toyota Aygo X. Renault is also working on a new electric Twingo, and the new 5 isn't huge either.
  • masklinn 1y ago
    > I can't see any way this could be sold in Europe It's 3860 x 1854mm, there are vehicles smaller than that being sold in europe right now (in the A segment, not quadricycles): the fiat 500e is 3632x1683, the suzuki ignis is 3700x1660. The citroen c1 (discontinued 2022) used to be just 3470x1620. Hell there are B segment cars which aren't much bigger, the R5 e-tech is 3920x1770, the yaris is 3940x1745.
    • barbegal 1y ago
      There are smaller vehicles being sold but the distance from the front bumper to the driver's legs is much longer because they don't have a bed taking up space at the back.
      • chipsa 1y ago
        The vast majority of tractor trailers in Europe are cab over designs. There’s definitely less room between the bumper and the driver’s legs in those than in any standard pickup truck.
  • mattlondon 1y ago
• wstrange 1y ago
  This is what Tesla should have built instead of the Cybertruck. With their distribution and service centers, this would sell like hot cakes.
• prmoustache 1y ago
  Too small, this won't sell.
• Jach 1y ago
  Still as ugly as last time it appeared on HN, it has none of the charm of a Kei truck. I wish any company would just take the old Ford Ranger designs (2011 and earlier) and make a truck on that. Or better yet, Ford themselves could redo the electric version of the Ranger (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_EV https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_EV) from 25 years ago with modern tech but the same look.
  • Tadpole9181 1y ago
    Without a doubt one of the best American pickups of all time. I cannot fathom how a company fumbled what was essentially a perfect product.
    • singron 1y ago
      I believe small trucks were unintentionally killed by CAFE. The regulation gives companies fuel efficiency targets. Prior to 2011, there were separate targets for categories like "passenger" and "light truck", but since 2011 it's been based on a formula of wheel footprint. Manufacturers realized that instead of trying to make current models more fuel efficient they could make bigger trucks instead. It was definitely one of the greatest failures of regulation and unfortunate that Congress never fixed it in 14 years. CAFE was essentially gutted in the recent budget bill.
      • fruitworks 1y ago
        Unintended consequences. Perhaps it have been better to tax fuel directly?
        • throw10920 1y ago
          That's the natural thing you think of, but then you have the problem that a fuel tax is a regressive tax on the poorest - who are usually also driving less efficient vehicles because they're cheaper, so they're hit twice as hard. But, if you tax vehicles by size, then you run into the issue that a lot of working-class people need large trucks to do their work. It's a hard problem and I've been thinking about it for a while.
• torginus 1y ago
  I really like the idea of taking advantage of there not being an engine bay in the front, and moving the driver position forward, and eliminating the unused length of the engine bay - but this looks very unsafe for the driver in a crash, with no crumple zone to speak of - not to mention it turns a simple fender bender into a front axle replacement (though with modern cars and their sensors, there's no such thing as a cheap crash anyway)
• roschdal 1y ago
  Telo MT1 - "your knees are the crumble zone"
  • throw123xz 1y ago
    Is it much worse than having an engine there?
• MarcelOlsz 1y ago
  Next level ugly. One of the worst designs I've ever seen.
• nacholar 1y ago
  Apparently nobody speaks spanish in the team. Telo MT1 can be read as "te lo mete uno" which translates to sombedy puts it into you.
  • fallingmeat 1y ago
    still better than “doesn’t go”
    • stusmall 1y ago
      I recently learned that being a issue for them was a myth. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chevrolet-nova-name-spanish/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chevrolet-nova-name-spanis...
• aynyc 1y ago
  This is what Ford e-transit could’ve been. Another missed opportunity by Ford.
• iambateman 1y ago
  I’d love to drive something like this. Looking forward to these hitting the market!
• sgt 1y ago
  I recommend watching the CTO's story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB-XlCf87hQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB-XlCf87hQ
• drivingmenuts 1y ago
  I saw this on JerryRigEverything and was thinking that this is the perfect city pickup. Compact, yet with a reasonable payload size. It has a good range (which, in my case, is not as important) and the horsepower is good. The dash takes a bit of getting used to, but OK. It's the second electric vehicle I actually like (Rivian being the first - but it's a full-size).
• photios 1y ago
  Man, this car is ugly. I'm getting strong Fiat Multipla vibes: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/remembering-fiat-multipla-quite-possibly-ugliest-car-ever-made/ https://www.motorbiscuit.com/remembering-fiat-multipla-quite...
  • dvh 1y ago
    Fiat multipla - car so ugly that Michael Schumacher had to do a commercial for it.
  • zubiaur 1y ago
    They have a very strange presence. They are quite wide. All the proportions are odd. It catches one’s eye. I uggly-puppy like it.
    • giobox 1y ago
      The width is why the design was so clever from an interior perspective - seated six comfortably with three abreast front/rear in a car shorter than a three door Ford Fiesta!
  • crote 1y ago
    At least the Fiat Multipla was a great car. It is filled to the brim with small features which improve the driving experience, and it is a miracle that it can fit six(!) people. It has a massive amount of storage space and great visibility, what's not to like? Besides the way it looks, of course. But if you're inside a Multipla, at least you don't have to look at its exterior?
• jama211 1y ago
  This isn’t a mini truck, it’s a truck. It’s just that the others are giant trucks.
  • chrisco255 1y ago
    What's the tow capacity and range when towing? No 4WD either. It's not a truck it's a UTV.
    • stusmall 1y ago
      It has 4WD
      • chrisco255 1y ago
        Ah yeah with a 1700 pound payload and no tow capacity. Many UTVs are 4WD too.
        • ghushn3 1y ago
          6,600lb tow capacity. You can dislike a thing, but like, you should probably at least get the facts straight.
          • chrisco255 1y ago
            Let's see the production model pull 6600 pounds on an 80% charge. Which by the way I see no stats on this on the site. But I'd much rather see production demos before I trusted those even. Even Cybertruck struggles to tow full weight at full charge further than 90 miles. How much you want to bet you'd be calling a real truck to tow your ass out of that situation? There's a reason electric trucks haven't taken off for real work use cases.
            • ghushn3 1y ago
              > Even Cybertruck struggles to The cybertruck is built pretty poorly. I think we can use truck stats from reputable automakers. > There's a reason electric trucks haven't taken off for real work use cases. When were electric trucks realistically available on the market for a reasonable price? I use a truck regularly (forestry industry), there's huge desire for them, they just haven't been around until very recently. You can't buy a secondhand ol beatup electric truck yet, so I don't expect them to be taking off yet.
• lysace 1y ago
  When your legs are an integral part of the crumple zone.
• deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
• largbae 1y ago
  Telo vs Slate.... Fight!
• deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
• hackama 1y ago
  This seems dangerous. Where's the crumple zone?
• __0x01 1y ago
  Is this cheaper to run than the gas equivalent?
• antisthenes 1y ago
  The information you're looking for is $41,520
• holoduke 1y ago
  Sorry. But to me it looks like a truck i can order on alieexpress. Does not show any robustness, strength and is not sexy at all. Nice for your local laundry delivery service at your beach resort. But thats it.
• 999900000999 1y ago
  41k ?! The entire point of the Slate truck is to try to come in under 20K or around it, and without the EV subsidies that's probably not going to happen.
  • apparent 1y ago
    When I scrolled quickly through the landing page looking for the price, I noticed it wasn't there and figured it would be expensive. I didn't think it would be this much though...
  • AlotOfReading 1y ago
    There's a reason limited production vehicles are almost always sports cars. Huge economies of scale are needed to target the budget market that you're not going to get as an unknown brand.
  • CarVac 1y ago
    It's twice the capabilities of the Slate though.
  • styfle 1y ago
    Slate is going to start closer to 28K now that the tax credit is gone (remember it’s not going into production until next year). That said, $41K is still a big jump in comparison and it makes the Telo much closer to the price of a Model Y starting around $45K.
  • bilsbie 1y ago
    There. It’s be something really expensive about EV’s. I keep hearing about batteries getting cheaper but these prices are insane.
• world2vec 1y ago
  Doug DeMuro did a review a couple months ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYe-QNRkdz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYe-QNRkdz8
• andy_ppp 1y ago
  It looks like a pug. I’m not saying that is bad :-)
• wg0 1y ago
  EVs are scam of the century. They have diverted so much economic resources into an end product that isn't even reliable let alone having a long life. Yet to talk about the amount of mining, its carbon footprint and pretty much irreversible or really high cost extraction/restoration of batteries apart. Longevity and carbon footprint - If that's not your yardstick than other than that the EVs are great. Have more power than any combustion engine can ever have, have more torque, more acceleration and pretty much zero maintenance as far as the "engine" is concerned. No noise, no emissions, no vibrations either.
  • throw123xz 1y ago
    > an end product that isn't even reliable let alone having a long life What's unreliable on a modern EV? And what do you mean by "long life", because you now have 10-15 year old EVs that are fine. Obviously some cars aged poorly, like some Tesla which had poor build quality (not an EV problem, but a company problem) or cars like the Nissan Leaf that didn't have battery cooling for years, but what's exactly unreliable on a modern Polestar or a Hyundai?
    • wg0 1y ago
      You don't need to ask me, check what happened with car rental companies and EVs. It's all pretty evident.
      • throw123xz 1y ago
        If you're referring to what happen to companies like Hertz, then according to them the problem wasn't reliability. The cars had more accidents, probably because some were not used to the speed or would get an EV just to test the speed. Why buy Tesla in that case then, when their repairs are known to be super expensive and slow? Then you had people who are not used to EVs and charging trying to use EVs and the companies themselves didn't build the charging infrastructure so customers left with a full battery, but that has nothing to do with reliability. Vehicle depreciation? Again, a Tesla problem because they sold them the cars at a high price before dropping prices (the covid years were very weird). So again, what makes EVs unreliable? It's a simple question.
• WorldPeas 1y ago
  Let's hope now that CAFE is dead or at least disarmed, more cars like this will come from the woodwork. I was always jealous that the japanese had so many cool small kei cars like the Subaru Sambar or Suzuki Cappuccino
• programmertote 1y ago
  Looks good and a step in the right direction (speaking as someone who thinks the modern day trucks are getting too big for the danger of those driving alongside them on the roads). I wonder though if the interior trim can be ordered without this felt-like material. I can easily see that being stained or dirty in a short period of time. I am sure there is.
• bikamonki 1y ago
  Super ugly and super pricey.
• ThinkBeat 1y ago
  This can fun a fun and practical vehicle, and it has a lot nifty solutions, and should serve sub(urban) life well. but if you really need a pickup truck, this cannot compare to a Tacoma That said I dont think anyone buying a Tacoma will be tempted by this vehicle, and I dont think the buyers of the MT1 will be comparison checking the Tacoma either. Separate markets the way I see it, as do they ""EV pickup for urban living and weekend adventuring"" So why the comparison?
  • devmor 1y ago
    > but if you really need a pickup truck, this cannot compare to a Tacoma Can you elaborate? This has the same bed size, same crew capacity and greater horsepower than a tacoma.
  • kgoettler 1y ago
    In my experience (US), the Tacoma is often the first vehicle that comes to people’s minds when they think of a small pickup truck.
    • amacbride 1y ago
      Part of the problem, of course, is that the Tacoma is no longer even remotely small. I really want a modern version of a mid-90s Tacoma.
      • Schiendelman 1y ago
        It wouldn't cost much less than the big Tacoma, so it would simply not sell (like this won't sell).
      • achenatx 1y ago
        Slate is coming in at around 175 inches..
• ThinkBeat 1y ago
  One thing I have learned. If you own a pick up like vehicle You will be helping even people you barely know to move. and your extended friends and family whenever they buy something too big to fit in their car
• nelsonic 1y ago
  Really hope enough people buy these new so that in a few years time I can get a second hand one. ;-)
• devmor 1y ago
  If it had full physical controls in the interior, this would be my dream vehicle. I'd reserve one today. The second I saw that touchscreen garbage dashboard I closed the window. I'll never buy a vehicle with that nonsense.
• rpmisms 1y ago
  Just make a gas-powered one that's repairable. This is not complicated. I love my Tesla, but my other vehicle is a Hardbody for a reason. EVs SUCK as trucks.
  • flankstaek 1y ago
    >EVs SUCK as trucks. What makes you say that?
    • sneak 1y ago
      Battery energy density and the huge amounts of energy required to tow or haul heavy, un-aerodynamic loads.
    • rpmisms 1y ago
      I want power density and off-grid capability in my truck. I want to be able to go camping and not plan for charging. I also want to be able to repair it without dealing with software. I also want to be able to tow without stopping to charge every 100 miles.
  • 01100011 1y ago
    I'd love an EV truck but not the weird little thing highlighted in this post. I watched an overview video someone linked but turned it off as soon as I saw the guy trying to fit inside the tiny cab. Also, why is this goofy little truck so powerful and so expensive? Can I please just get a modestly powered EV work truck with capacity for sheet goods, a few tools, and a single passenger other than the driver? Can it not cost $50k?
• plantwallshoe 1y ago
  It doesn’t matter how capable, efficient, affordable, powerful, etc. the truck is. That’s not the point. The point of a truck for 90% of American pickup truck drivers is that it signals to the world around them what team they’re on. This truck is a signal for the wrong team.
  • nine_k 1y ago
    This is a good illustration of what's wrong with American not politics, but, I'd say, psyche. Every little (an not so little, like a truck) thing is used to signal allegiance to one of the two irreconcilable warring factions. No union, no values, no common cause, just us vs them, doubtless virtue vs doubtless vice. It's really, really disheartening to see; not in the parent comment, but generally in life. I wish an electric truck could alleviate even a small bit of that.
• sockboy 1y ago
  Interesting to see how much the perception of trucks varies globally. For many, it’s about versatility and utility beyond just daily commuting. The off-road and hauling capabilities often get overlooked in city-centric debates.
• smcleod 1y ago
  This is incredibly sensible design (if they pull it off), it's a reasonable size (unlike a lot of 'Murcian utility vehicles), has some good options (like the dual solar roof) and a useful carry layout.
• Kephael 1y ago
  This is a bad marketing idea to compare a golf cart like this to a Toyota Tacoma. There is practically zero ground clearance and a unibody frame, this will high center in places where I regularly drive my Tacoma. Tacoma wins on ruggedness, lower total cost of ownership thanks to a significantly lower price and having limited depreciation. Unless these are priced at under $30,000 for the AWD, these will flop commercially. If the CAFE standards could be fixed, we could get ICE and hybrid trucks that are smaller and more affordable, the EV route is too expensive and the products are strange.
  • aidenn0 1y ago
    I know the CAFE standards are bad, but isn't it just a tax if you miss the target? Anyone know how much would it cost a car company per vehicle if they made a modern version of the '80s Ranger or Hilux?
    • fragmede 1y ago
      They got "fixed". He penalty was set to zero.
  • CarVac 1y ago
    It has ten inches of ground clearance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEcI967gXUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEcI967gXUg
• 1024core 1y ago
  Bottom of the page: > Copyright © 2024 TELO Trucks. All rights reserved.
  • bagels 1y ago
    Can you explain the relevance of this?
• ionwake 1y ago
  Sorry am I being an idiot or is there no rough price for this? EDIT> Price is $50k 350m range . Nearly London -> Edinburgh
  • irq-1 1y ago
    Pre-Order pricing: > $41,520 | 260 mi | 300 hp
• andreygrehov 1y ago
  Why is the design so… awkward?
• almost_usual 1y ago
  Nice, how much do I need to cut to get 33s on it?
• iandanforth 1y ago
  My wife caught a glimpse of this over my shoulder, "What an ugly truck." she said immediately. Pretty much sums it up.
• qwertox 1y ago
  What a great form factor.
• silcoon 1y ago
  In Australia, BYD Shark 6 is currently conquering the market for the EV utes.
• zombiwoof 1y ago
  Another Canoo bankrupt future and lose my 150 bucks?
• haloblue 1y ago
  [flagged]
  • werds 1y ago
    cool bro
• stefap2 1y ago
  I thought electric cars are simpler and should be cheaper. You can tariff out competition only for so long...
• bagels 1y ago
  $42k. If you're making a tiny truck, it should have a tiny price.
  • Schiendelman 1y ago
    Most of the cost of building a truck is the same whether it's big or small. Hence why we only get big trucks - that reaction.
  • CarVac 1y ago
    You'd pay for a useless hood?
• bastian 1y ago
  This will be a giant success.
• zmmmmm 1y ago
  One thing I'm really happy about with the rise of EVs is that they seem to be unlocking a fresh wave of innovation. This is in part because at a fundamental level, they are much simpler and easier to manufacture and more flexible in terms of design, so they are far more accessible for the startup ecosystem to break into. I'm really looking forward to what else we see emerging in the next few years once all the basic EV technology is commoditised.
• deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
• cpursley 1y ago
  Love the footprint, hate the cloth interior. I want to be able to spay it out after my mountain biking trips.
  • yello_downunder 1y ago
    I'm stuck with a cloth interior. I bring a beach towel to drape on the seat after my rides. Mud falls onto the towel which makes it easy to clean out of the vehicle.
• Arch-TK 1y ago
  I like that it's small and potentially even more functional than whatever idiotic American small-dick-compensating nonsense people buy these days but why does it need to be so ugly? If you want more people to buy sensible vehicles, make them look nice i.e. not like something NASA would send to Mars.
• Tadpole9181 1y ago
  Man, I'd love something like this. I was happy with my small, early 2000s pickup, but everything in the used market when it died were obnoxious show-off vehicles that quite literally don't even fit in most of the parking spaces in my city. This has that cute kei truck look... well... Maybe an inbred kei truck. But it seems just the right size for utility (and my much-missed tailgate naps). But $42k is just so much money to me. I've never spent more than ~$15k (financed) on a vehicle and I feel like I'm fairly well off...
• koinedad 1y ago
  I like the mini idea. I want a small car thing and this might be just the type of thing that is practical for me
• keyle 1y ago
  Exciting to see new development, especially in this terminal economy. What sort of ANCAP rating do they get with such a short front hood?
• ghushn3 1y ago
  This rules. I hope it succeeds. More smaller vehicles designed for urban spaces please!
• CarVac 1y ago
  This is a truck that appeals to car buyers because it's not sacrificing a compact body or efficiency, while providing immense utility and off-roading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEcI967gXUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEcI967gXUg
• mNovak 1y ago
  A fabric interior? That's one I didn't see coming. Seems like it'd be harder to clean.
• ChipopLeMoral 1y ago
  I really like the solar roof and bed cover add-ons. They don't have specs but should be roughly 4 square meters combined or so? so about 800w at peak power. Not enough to let you rely on it even if you live in a sunny place, but it could add up to a nice reduction in cost per mile if you use it to commute and park it in the sun.
• nixgeek 1y ago
  Did anyone reserve? If yes what’s your preorder position number?
• dluan 1y ago
  For $41k, I can buy 20 chang li explorer trucks off alibaba and have $1000 leftover. I just fail to see how anyone sane would try and enter this market right now.
  • xrd 1y ago
    Are you in the US? How do you get those into the country? These aren't street legal, right? I would love to know I'm out of date on this belief.
• emsign 1y ago
  I can't customize that ugly front into a cooler design unfortunately.
• throwmeaway222 1y ago
  Neat, but I imagined what an accident with a semi head on would do to me...
• andai 1y ago
  Why'd they make it look like that? It looks like one of those dog breeds that can't breathe normally.
• lofaszvanitt 1y ago
  It looks horrible. Why do all these new electric cars look like they've been through a 'you don't want to buy this' session?
• sMarsIntruder 1y ago
  When EU?
• sciencesama 1y ago
  for this size i would want it to be less than 20k !
• sschueller 1y ago
  Is an open front wheel like this street legal? Seems to be it would be a safety issue for pedestrians. Legally weels also are not allowed to stick out past the fender when straight.
  • darknavi 1y ago
    The wheels are behind the front bumper by a few inches.
    • sschueller 1y ago
      The first image on their website clearly shows the front wheels sticking out past the front bumper as well as not having any covering on the front. https://imgur.com/V05Mc5a https://imgur.com/V05Mc5a
      • darknavi 1y ago
        That's just perspective, as orthographic projection would probably look a little wonky. You can see them up close in the prototype model here: https://youtu.be/uzyRb1s2U5c?t=1512 https://youtu.be/uzyRb1s2U5c?t=1512
• melomds 1y ago
  [dead]
• Thorrez 1y ago
  >Our standard five-seat crew cab features a 5-foot bed capacity with a configurable mid-partition that either increases the bed size to accommodate 4-by-8-foot plywood sheets with the tailgate up or to allow for additional seating for up to eight passengers. Eight passengers while driving? Where? I don't see any pictures of that.
  • asoneth 1y ago
    They have renders of what a passenger van variant would look like but my understanding is that this is just aspirational and will not be produced unless the 5-seat truck variant is successful.
• 1970-01-01 1y ago
  Telo are too small to succeed and too interesting to fail. I expect them to be bought after they fully launch the vehicle and it shows promise.
• thecrumb 1y ago
  Why do these 'new' trucks feel they need to reinvent the wheel? I don't want something I need to 'reconfigure' to either carry people or a 4x8. I don't need seating for 4. I need a small utility truck. Like... a Toyota. A late 70's, early 80's Toyota. No electric windows. No fancy interior. Seating for 2 (my and my dog). No information screen...
  • sphars 1y ago
    That's what Slate is doing: https://www.slate.auto/en https://www.slate.auto/en
• tgtweak 1y ago
  How many kWh? Charging specs? Solar panel specs? Honestly feels so far from an actual product I wouldn't expect to see it for another 3 years, in which time there will certainly be better options for $50,000.
• pokechamp 1y ago
  > With Toyota Tacoma capability, Tesla-like range and efficiency, in the footprint of a MINI Cooper, the TELO MT1 is the most compact, practical and technically advanced truck. I'm cautious anytime a brand compares themselves.
• tasqyn 1y ago
  why it is so ugly?
• rsktaker 1y ago
  (Not sure if this is just me, but) I find this truck so aesthetically displeasing? Somehow, most EVs have curves and "bounciness" (and why such odd headlights??) in all the right places to make it look childish. I find the Tesla sedan extremely aesthetic though, that might be the one exception. The bigger Teslas (especially in color white) remind me of pandas for some reason.
  • fruitworks 1y ago
    A lot of commenters are in the same boat
• tunapizza 1y ago
  Also read: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42638394 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42638394
• thisOtterBeGood 1y ago
  I'm not sure this thing would fare well in a crash test.
  • spixy 1y ago
    I am asking the same. Putting truck bed from rear into front would help with that.
• ergl 1y ago
  This is literally an ad.
• Poiesis 1y ago
  I sure wish more of these electric trucks came with paint-free body panels. Say what you will about the Cybertruck, but the idea of a truck that doesn't have paint is very attractive to me. Seems like this one is moving away from plastic to steel, and I haven't seen what the Slate so I imagine it's probably painted steel as well. Plastic, stainless, whatever...I just don't want a paint job to worry about.