I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but small is back in style. Full-size pickup trucks are out, and smaller trucks like the Ford Maverick and the even smaller Slate pickup truck are in. What if you don’t want something so conventional, though? What if you want something a little weird? Well, that’s where the Telo electric minitruck comes in. We saw a new prototype get revealed back in March, and even though it has four doors and a small bed, its cab-over design means it’s only about the size of a Mini Cooper. Incredible.
But while I only learned about Telo’s existence a few months ago, the company already has driveable prototypes available and recently lent one to our old pal Doug DeMuro, suggesting it’s a lot closer to production than you might have assumed. In fact, allegedly, deliveries will begin by the end of next year, with volume production ramping up in 2027. Will that happen? Well, it’s my kind of weird, and I’ve been burned too many times in the past, so I’m going to say not a chance, but that doesn’t mean I don’t desperately want it to see them on the road.
I mean, it’s a tiny, cab-over pickup truck. What’s not to love? Oh, and did I mention the all-wheel-drive version makes 500 horsepower? Because it does. And it’s glorious. As much as I love the Mini Cooper, you know what would make it better? 500 hp. Can Telo offer a convertible version next?
The Telo MT1 is actually (sort of) real
Maybe I’m too easily impressed, but even though the version Doug reviewed is a pre-production prototype, and not all of the features work yet, it’s still super cool to see someone actually drive one on public roads so soon after the official reveal. Especially without a PR team peering over their shoulder the entire time, controlling what they’re allowed to do with it.
Much more importantly, though, look how happy Doug is while driving the Telo — driving impressions begin at about the 26-minute mark. That’s pure joy on his face, and I believe I deserve to experience the same joy. I deserve to giggle as I drive around in the world’s cutest 500-hp minitruck, and so do you. Just imagine how much better daily errands would be if you had a Telo to do them in. It’s so stinkin’ adorable, I would literally die to defend it.
Granted, the cab-over design that makes such a tiny truck possible also eliminates most of what would be the front-end’s crumple zone, so if I ever crashed the MT1 while driving it, I might literally literally die, as opposed to just doing so metaphorically, but I could also avoid that by simply not crashing. Also, I’m sure they’ll figure out the whole “crash safety” thing by the time the MT1 goes on sale. Probably. I hope. Not that there will be any regulatory agencies left standing by the time it goes into production to actually check that they did.
Still, I don’t know if my heart can take yet another disappointment. Canoo was supposed to bring weirdness to EVs, and now it’s dead, so I’m not getting too excited just yet. But maybe, just maybe the folks at Telo won’t let me down and will actually find a way to build these things. Fingers crossed!
