What Telo Trucks does

Telo Trucks is a California-based electric vehicle manufacturer developing the MT1, a compact all-electric pickup truck designed to deliver the cargo and passenger capability of a Toyota Tacoma within the footprint of a MINI Cooper SE. The MT1 is built on a dual 800V/400V split-pack battery architecture housing a 106 kWh pack delivering up to 350 miles of estimated range, supporting 400 kW sustained charging and interoperability with both 400V and 800V DC fast chargers. The vehicle is offered in single-motor (2WD) and dual-motor (AWD) configurations (0-60 mph in 6.0s and 4.0s respectively), with a configurable midgate that extends the 60-inch bed to accommodate 4-by-8-foot plywood sheets or up to 8 passengers, and a commercial variant adds a temperature-controlled bed and 110V/220V power hookups. Starting price is $41,520.

The company pursues a direct-to-consumer sales model with refundable website pre-orders, supplemented by event-based demand generation (Electrify Expo, Open Sauce LIVE) and a dedicated commercial fleet sales channel. Telo is pre-revenue, having raised approximately $30 million across pre-seed (June 2023, $1.4M), strategic (March 2024, $5.4M led by Neo), and Series A (September 2025, $20M co-led by Yves Béhar and Marc Tarpenning) rounds. The company has accumulated over 12,000 refundable pre-orders representing more than $600 million in potential revenue. Manufacturing is outsourced through a June 2026 partnership with Schwab Industries (Tier 1 automotive supplier) for body-in-white production, with first deliveries of approximately 500 units targeted for late 2026 and a scale plan of approximately 5,000 units annually. The team (~13 people) is led by CEO Jason Marks, co-founder/CTO Forrest North, co-founder/CCO Yves Béhar, and Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning on the board. Customer segments span urban consumers, weekend adventurers, small-scale farmers, and commercial fleets in construction, agriculture, maintenance, and delivery.

Name

Telo Trucks

Legal name

Telo Trucks Inc.

Website

https://www.telotrucks.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Telo Trucks is a California-based electric vehicle startup developing the MT1, a compact all-electric mini pickup truck offering Toyota Tacoma capability in a MINI Cooper footprint, targeting urban consumers and commercial fleet operators with deliveries planned from late 2026 at a $41,520 starting price.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Pickup Trucks

akta.pro primary industry

Battery Pack & Module Manufacturing (EV) (IMACACAA)

Keywords

• Electric mini trucks
• Compact electric vehicles
• EV pickup trucks
• Electric truck manufacturing
• Urban electric mobility

Headquarters

HQ city

San Carlos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales: Direct sales of MT1 electric mini-trucks to consumers and commercial fleets. Primary revenue stream from vehicle hardware sales with base price starting at $41,520

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Telo Trucks designs, manufactures, and sells the TELO MT1, a compact all-electric mini pickup truck offering Toyota Tacoma capability in the footprint of a MINI Cooper. The vehicle features a 106 kWh battery with up to 350 miles of range, 400 kW sustained charging via a dual 800V/400V split-pack architecture, 2,000 lbs payload, 6,600 lbs towing, and an innovative midgate that converts the 60-inch bed into extended cargo or passenger configurations. Sold through direct-to-consumer pre-orders and a dedicated commercial fleet sales channel.

Product overview

Telo Trucks offers a single core product platform, the MT1 all-electric mini truck, which is available in consumer and commercial variants. The MT1 comes in two drivetrain configurations: Single Motor (2WD) and Dual Motor (AWD). The commercial version adds fleet-focused features such as temperature-controlled cargo beds and power outlets. The company has not announced any modular add-ons, sub-products, or standalone SaaS offerings beyond the vehicle hardware itself.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TELO MT1 The TELO MT1 is an all-electric mini pickup truck offering Toyota Tacoma capability in the footprint of a MINI Cooper. It features a 106 kWh battery, up to 350 miles of range, dual-motor AWD with 500 HP, 0-60 mph in 4 seconds, 2,000 lbs payload, 6,600 lbs towing, and a configurable 60-inch bed with midgate. Starting price is $41,520. Targeted at urban city dwellers, weekend adventurers, and small-scale farmers in the U.S.
• TELO MT1 Commercial Commercial variant of the MT1 designed for fleet and business use, featuring a temperature-controlled covered bed, 110V/220V power hookups, and quiet emission-free indoor operation. Targets businesses in construction, agriculture, maintenance & services, and delivery with fleets of 1-100+ vehicles. Lower operating costs than traditional gas-powered work trucks.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Schwab IndustriescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 15 June 2026Michigan-based Tier 1 automotive supplier partnership for body-in-white structure manufacturing for the MT1. This marks a key production milestone as the company targets first deliveries in late 2026.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lordstown Motors: Lordstown pursued an electric pickup targeted at commercial fleets, sharing Telo's compact-EV-truck-for-fleets thesis. Despite its struggles, it is the closest historical analog for Telo's commercial-variant go-to-market.
• Rivian: Rivian sells the R1T, a premium all-electric pickup truck. It is the most established pure-EV pickup competitor and benchmark for Telo's EV truck product strategy, though at a significantly higher price point.
• Slate Auto: Slate Auto is developing a compact, affordable electric pickup/truck targeting everyday utility at a low price point—the most directly comparable new entrant to Telo's MT1 mini-truck positioning and form factor.

Emerging players

• Canoo: Canoo developed compact, modular electric vehicles with a similar startup-era narrative around unconventional form factors and fleet applications—adjacent to Telo's compact-EV positioning though focused on vans/MPVs.
• Workhorse Group: Workhorse builds electric delivery vehicles and light commercial platforms for last-mile fleets—a relevant comparator for Telo's commercial/fleet channel targeting construction, agriculture, and delivery customers.
• Scout Motors: Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors is launching an electric SUV and pickup truck line targeting American buyers who want rugged, capable vehicles—adjacent to Telo's adventurous/utilitarian positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Hyundai Santa Cruz: The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a compact unibody pickup crossover targeting urban-adventurer buyers, sharing Telo's compact-form-factor + urban-weekend-adventure thesis but as a gasoline/hybrid incumbent.
• Tesla (Cybertruck): Tesla's Cybertruck is a high-profile EV pickup competing for the same EV-truck consideration set. Tesla's scale, charging network, and brand create a strong gravitational pull on Telo's addressable buyer.
• Toyota Tacoma: The Toyota Tacoma is the mid-size pickup Telo explicitly benchmarks for bed length and capability ('Tacoma capacity in MINI Cooper footprint'). It anchors the ICE compact/mid-size truck segment Telo is targeting.
• Ford (F-150 Lightning): Ford's F-150 Lightning is the volume-leading electric pickup and the operating-cost comparator Telo cites ($4,825/year vs MT1 $1,661). Same product category, but full-size, mass-market, and legacy OEM-backed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/telotrucks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCerVxzrQcaLOGOwXB-3CVEQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telo-trucks
• Instagraminstagram.com/telotrucks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Telo Trucks