Americans love nothing more than apple pie, stellar flags, and pickup trucks. Now, a new company has arrived that promises to reinvent the pickup for city-dwelling Californians, who wish their pickup was smaller and more, or actually, all electric.
Unveiled on Tuesday, the Telo Truck measures in at just 152 inches in length (3,860 mm)—just about the same length as a two-door Mini Electric. Despite that, the automaker promises that it will be capable of carrying as much as a Toyota Tacoma.
That’s thanks to a clever design that takes advantage of the potential of EV packaging. A cleverly organized battery pack and the lack of a big internal combustion engine mean that more of the Truck can be given over to passengers and their stuff.
Read: Is The U.S. Govt’s Support For Huge EVs Putting Pedestrians In Danger?
The four-door, crew cab Telo Truck will have seating for five, as well as a five-foot-long (1,524 mm) bed. Thanks to a mid-partition feature, the truck will be able to accommodate a 4′ x 8′ (1219 x 2438 mm) sheet of plywood or a nine-foot-long (2,743 mm) surf board with the tailgate up. In addition, there’s enough underbed storage space for a snowboard or luggage.
Naturally, that will require sacrificing some seat space for cargo room, but if you prefer to do the opposite, Telo says that the truck will be able to seat up to eight passengers, despite its diminutive size. In that case, the underbed storage doubles as a footwell for third-row passengers.
500 HP and up to 350 miles of range
Just as impressive, the company promises that the Truck will have a 106 kWh battery that offers up to 350 miles (563 km) of range. In addition, it will make up to 500 hp (373 kW/507 PS), thanks to a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup.
That may all sound too good to be true, but the team behind the Telo Truck has some experience in the EV space. One of the co-founders, Forrest North, was previously involved in the creation of the original Tesla Roadster, and founded Mission Motors, one of the first electric motorcycle companies on earth.
“By focusing on the design and placement of the battery pack within the truck’s chassis, we are able to not only to create a roomier crew cab, but also develop a vehicle that is practical for its users,” said North, who is the company’s chief technical officer. “Our patent-pending battery packs are space optimized to provide an impressive 350-mile range in between charges in our small footprint, while being highly manufacturable.”
Priced From $50,000
Telo has not yet revealed when the Truck will go into production, but it is accepting (refundable) deposits for it. If you’re interested in signing up to be one of the first to receive this truck if and when it is produced, then you can hand over $152 (a reference to the length of the vehicle) at the company’s website today. Prices are expected to start at $49,999.