Look at this thing. It looks like a Mini Cooper had a baby with a pickup truck and then took it to the gym. The upcoming Telo MT1 isn’t trying to be one of those shy little Japanese kei trucks you import for fun. Nope. With up to 500 horsepower, the MT1 is here to make a scene.
It’s electric. It’s tiny. It’s fast.
Two battery options are in the pipeline. The standard pack gets you about 260 miles. Upgrade to the larger 106-kWh unit, and that range stretches to a more respectable 350 miles. The interior isn’t some spartan wasteland either. Unlike the upcoming Slate Truck its main rival, the Telo actually cares a little bit about comfort. There’s a 13.0-inch touchscreen. And get this, there is a back seat.
Telo promises production starts before the end of 20206. If you need a truck today? Look at the Ford Maverick. It’s reliable, it’s here, and it won’t disappoint. But the MT1? It’s coming.
Power That Makes No Sense
Single motor : ~300 hp
Dual motor : ~500 hp
Let that sink in. This vehicle is the size of a large dog. And they strapped two motors under the hood that make nearly five hundred ponies. It’s absurd. Even the base single-motor setup with 300 horsepower will likely zip around town with alarming enthusiasm. Telo claims the dual-motor version will hit 0–60 mph in 4.0 seconds. The single-motor tag-along needs a solid 6 seconds.
Does a kei-size truck need to accelerate like a Hyundai Ioniq 5? Absolutely not. Do we love that it does anyway? You bet we do.
But power costs you utility. If you want to tow heavy stuff, this probably isn’t your ride. The MT1 caps out at 6,600 pounds. The Rivian R1T handles 11,000. For payload, the single-motor gets you 2,000 pounds while the faster dual-motor drops you to 1,700. Aerodynamics are cruel that way.
Living With The Beast
Charging isn’t a disaster. 20 to 80% takes just 20 minutes on DC fast charging. Quick enough to grab coffee. Long enough to regret buying a truck this small if you have a full-size RV in your garage.
Inside, it’s clean. Minimalist but not cheap. Patterned fabric seats, two-tone colors, and a squared-off steering wheel that screams “indie film protagonist.” It’s narrow, sure. But two adults fit in the front.
Then there’s the back. The Slate Truck skipped a crew cab. The MT1 didn’t. Two rear doors. A bench seat. It’s tight. You’d squeeze two adults in only if they didn’t mind each other’s breath. Or if the trip was short.
The cargo area is where things get clever. The rear seats fold flat. The bulkhead disappears. Telo says you can slide a full 4×8 sheet of plywood in there. There’s also a tunnel locker under the bed, copying a feature from the much pricier Rivian. Hard tonneau covers and bedcaps are available, so you can keep your mud flaps dry.
Tech And Safety
The infotainment is all that 13.0-inch screen. Bluetooth, Wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. No one knows if it lags yet. We’ll find out. Safety tech is the bare minimum required by modern life. Forward collision warning, 360-degree cameras, and parking sensors are standard. Because in a truck this short, you probably need extra help seeing your own corners.
We don’t know crash test ratings yet. We don’t know speaker counts. We don’t even have keys in hand. But the promise is clear. Tiny truck. Big ego.
Who else wants one?
