TELO is a new electric truck startup based in Silicon Valley that aims to provide an electric truck with the capabilities of today’s full-size pickup trucks, but in a right-sized package that actually fits in a city.
TELO is a startup cofounded by Jason Marks, who led ADAS/Autonomous drive test programs at National Instruments, and EV industry veteran Forrest North, an early Tesla Roadster engineer, cofounder of Mission Motors and former COO of Recargo/Plugshare.
The startup is still in its early stages, but has big plans for its tiny electric truck, with a spec sheet of some pretty unbelievable specs.
TELO plans to offer a 106kWh battery on its first model, with a dual motor configuration capable of 500 horsepower. This gives the truck a 0-60 time of about four seconds, with a top speed of 125mph.
The company estimates that the truck will have a range of 350 miles, and is targeting a 20-minute charge time from 20-80% capacity (this works out to about a 190kW average charge rate from 20-80%, though it should be able to take about a 320kW peak).
All of this comes in an incredibly small package. It’s only 152 inches long – the same length as the electric Mini Cooper SE. That’s five feet shorter than the Toyota Tacoma, the best-selling “compact” pickup truck in America, and six and a half feet shorter than the F-150 Lightning. And at 4,400 lb., it weighs less than a Tesla Model Y.
Somehow, though, despite the Mini having four seats at that length, TELO promises to fit five seats and a full-size 60″ truck bed, same as the base model crew cab Tacoma. That’s six inches longer than the 54″ bed of the Rivian R1T, six inches shorter than the 66″ bed of the F-150 Lightning, and the same length as the excessive Hummer EV “supertruck,” though with 49 inches between the wheels, the TELO is a little narrower than each.
TELO says that in order to achieve this space-efficiency, it has chosen to optimize for space at all points in the design process. These design choices can be summarized as “good enough to be amazing, but we don’t have to be the best,” said TELO. By not going over-the-top with any particular spec, the company can save space and money.
For example, TELO says its battery – which uses standard 21700 cells – will be 50% more space efficient than the rest of the industry because it is able to save space with lower-amperage connections since it’s not aiming to break any records with 0-60 times like some other big-battery EVs. And the front of the truck bed is the back of the rear seats, so that’s one fewer body panel or seat part that needs to be designed, tooled, produced, and attached to the vehicle.
On that point – the rear seats act as a mid-gate, and can be folded down to create a flat surface long and wide enough to carry full 4×8 sheets of plywood or a nine-foot surfboard even with the tailgate up (and potentially fully enclosed by a tonneau cover, though TELO has not yet decided if one will come standard).
Even without a tonneau cover, the truck will have enclosed storage in the form of a tunnel storage compartment, which will function similarly to Rivian’s “gear tunnel.” This has been a popular feature on the Rivian, as a place to store dirty items that you don’t want to throw into an open bed, or to use the tunnel door itself as a seat or as a step to access gear on a roof rack.
But on the TELO, the tunnel can also be accessed from above by removing part of the truck bed. This doesn’t just give more options for accessing storage, but opens up a whole new possibility for rear passengers.
As if two rows and a full-size bed weren’t enough, TELO plans to offer an optional camper shell and bolt-in third-row seats, bringing total seating capacity to eight total passengers, says the company. In this configuration, the tunnel gets used as the footwell for the rear passengers.
Alternately, the camper shell can be used without third-row seats for enclosed storage, and TELO wants to connect it to vehicle HVAC, which could be useful for businesses or for owners who often carry pets around in the back.
The truck will be capable of V2L, with outlets in the bed, though TELO hasn’t decided how much draw it will be capable of yet.
TELO is being built with safety in mind from the get-go. Despite the short front-end with only one inch of overhang over the front wheels (on a 111.5-inch total wheelbase), the seating position is not entirely cab-over and occupants are still hidden behind a crumple zone. But in keeping with Marks’s previous expertise working on ADAS testing systems, TELO claims it has several innovative electronic aids for both driver and passenger safety planned, though it couldn’t elaborate on what specific technologies it had in mind.
But more importantly, a small electric truck is inherently safer for roads, pedestrians, and for the environment. In recent years we have seen a trend toward massive land yachts taking over the road (yet with less utility and smaller beds), with SUV and truck sales skyrocketing. And it’s been no coincidence that pedestrian deaths have risen rapidly in sync with sales of larger vehicles that often leave pedestrian safety as an extreme afterthought.
Not only do these massive trucks and SUVs harm pedestrians, they also cause more road damage, run through more tires (causing more particulate pollution from tire particles), contribute to sprawl, and use more resources both to manufacture and to operate. It’s all bad, it’s all dangerous, and we need to do something about it.
Cofounders Forrest North and Jason Marks with designer Yvez Behar
TELO offers a solution here. It’s a vehicle that has the capability of a full-size truck, but uses far fewer resources and is less of a danger to everyone around it. And for a global population that is both growing and urbanizing, small urban EVs are going to be important both for city dwellers who need or choose to have a vehicle, and for businesses that need cargo space but would benefit from a smaller vehicle.
And the company thinks that the market is ready for a truck like this. There has been some pushback brewing against rising vehicle sizes lately, and even “compact” trucks like the aforementioned Tacoma are several feet longer than this vehicle. Crossover SUVs are popular because people want cars that have more space and utility, but aren’t as big as a truck or full-size SUV.
So what if they could have even more utility in an even smaller package? It could be a hit, especially given that there isn’t anything else like it on the American market (and small delivery trucks are already popular in both Europe and Asia, so there’s your proof-of-concept).
So now, down to the bottom line: How much does it cost, and when can we get it?
TELO is currently targeting a price of $50K before incentives, and it should qualify for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits too. In the future, TELO wants to offer a version with a smaller battery and single motor, presumably with a lower price. This would be good for people who know they don’t need a huge 350-mile battery, or for businesses with set routes or mostly intracity travel. But, like most startups, the focus will be to start upmarket and deliver one highly equipped version to start off, then expand with other options later.
As for planned delivery, there are several steps to go before then. TELO wants to have a running prototype by the end of summer, a press vehicle by the end of the year, to do homologation (crash/aero analysis) over the course of the next year and conclude all of those preproduction steps in 2024. Then, it hopes to have the first 500 hand-built vehicles by the end of 2025, and 10,000 contract-manufactured vehicles in 2026.
These are all incredibly tight timelines, and basically describe perfect execution – so, as is often the case with EV startups, there may be some “flexibility” on the above dates.
If you’re interested in getting a TELO, the company is taking pre-orders today at its website, telotrucks.com. Pre-orders are $152 – just like the 152-inch length of the truck. You can also join TELO’s Discord server where it will solicit feedback on development.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve made my thoughts clear about ballooning SUV and truck sizes multiple times before on this site. In short, I’m against it. We need smaller vehicles, and we need to live in denser, greener spaces. These are important steps in the fight against climate change, which is the most important problem humanity has ever encountered.
As for the TELO, even though we haven’t gotten to ride in it yet, I think it’s pretty clear that I love everything that’s been promised here.
But, when I said the specs were “unbelievable” above, I meant it. Reading through the press release, I really thought the company was pushing the bounds of reality.
After speaking with the founders, it all does seem more realistic. I can see how they can pack a lot into a tiny package, and how they’re getting a lot of the numbers they’ve quoted.
I’m still skeptical of a couple of them – promising such a huge jump in volumetric energy density, for example – but I see how most of this is possible.
And I’m also a bit skeptical of the need for so many features, when trimmed-down versions of the truck could be more fit-to-purpose. A delivery truck doesn’t need a second row of seats or 0-60 in four seconds, a family hauler doesn’t need to go 125 mph, and so on. But this is just the start, and TELO said they would offer trimmed-down versions in the future, so we’ll hope to see those.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see production timing slip, to see some features cut or made optional, or to see some other changes to price or battery size. But even with a few reductions here and there, this still is an astounding package and fills a market that needs to be filled and that nobody else is filling. And it can’t get here quick enough, in my opinion, so we hope they make it to production (making cars is hard) and can start to bend the needle in the US toward right-sized vehicles with lots of capability in less space.
As always, we’re happy to hear your feedback in the comments. What do you think about the TELO? Are their plans realistic, is there a market for this kind of truck in the US? Let us know below.
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The US wind industry installed just 5.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 – the lowest level in a decade, according to Wood Mackenzie’s new US Wind Energy Monitor report. Installations are expected to rebound in 2025, but the real concern lies in US wind’s sharply downgraded 5-year outlook. As for the reason behind that bleak forecast, we’ll give you one guess as to why, and it starts with a T.
Wood Mac reports that 3.9 GW of onshore wind came online last year, along with 1.3 GW of onshore repowers and 101 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind.
Onshore wind
The US is expected to achieve more than 160 GW of installed onshore capacity by 2025, and onshore growth is projected to bounce back from 2024 and surpass 6.3 GW this year.
“The cliff in 2023 and 2024 created by the Production Tax Credit (PTC) push in 2022 will come to an end,” said Stephen Maldonado, research analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Despite the uncertainty created by the new administration, the massive number of orders placed in 2023 culminating in projects now under construction support the short-term forecast.”
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The pipeline for onshore has 10.8 GW currently under construction through 2027, with another 3.9 GW announced.
GE Vernova led onshore wind installations in 2024 with 56% of the market and will continue to lead in connections for the next five years. It was followed by Vestas (40%) and Siemens Gamesa (4%).
Offshore wind
Offshore wind is projected to increase in 2025 as well, with 900 MW of installed capacity, up from a disappointing 101 MW in 2024. However, several projects have been shelved in the wake of Trump’s anti-wind executive orders, which downgraded the five-year outlook by 1.8 GW.
Electrek’s Take on US wind’s 5-year outlook
According to Wood Mac, 33 GW of new onshore wind capacity will be installed through 2029, along with 6.6 GW of new offshore capacity and 5.5 GW of repowers. However, due to Trump’s anti-wind policy and economic uncertainty, this five-year outlook is 40% less than a previous total of 75.8 GW. Growth will happen, but it’s going to be slower.
The main reason is Trump’s flourish of his Sharpie on executive orders that include “temporary” withdrawal of offshore wind leasing areas and putting a stop to onshore wind on federal lands. Plus, firing all those federal employees will likely make permitting wind farms a slower process. (Trump just wrote more executive orders today allowing coal projects on federal lands; he won’t have federal employees to issue permits for those, either.) He’s worked to throw up obstacles for wind projects in favor of fossil fuels. He won’t stop the wind industry, but he’s managed to get some projects canceled, and he’ll make things more of a slog over the next few years.
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BYD’s cheapest EV in China just got even more affordable. After cutting prices this month, the BYD Seagull EV starts at just 56,800 yuan, or under $8,000.
BYD cuts Seagull EV price to under $8,000 in April
Despite an intensifying EV price war in China, BYD is cutting prices once again. The Chinese EV giant announced a new promotion this month across several Ocean Series models, including the Seagull.
The 2025 BYD Seagull EV is available starting at just 56,800 yuan ($7,800). The offer is for the non-Smart Driving Vitality Edition model, which usually starts at 69,800 yuan ($9,500).
After launching the new Seagull last year, BYD said the low-cost electric car officially opened “a new era of electricity being lower than oil.” Earlier this year, it upgraded most of its vehicles, including the Seagull, with its new “God’s Eye” smart driving system at no extra charge.
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BYD’s Seagull is offered in three trims in China: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. It has two battery options, 30.1 kWh or 38.9 kWh, which is good for the 305 km (190 mi) and 405 km (252 mi) CLTC range, respectively.
BYD cuts vehicle prices in April 2025, including the Seagull EV (Source: BYD)
At just 3,780 mm long, 1,715 mm wide, and 1,540 mm tall, the Seagull is even smaller than the former Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, and 1,611 mm tall). It’s about the size of a Fiat 500e.
BYD Seagull EV (Dolphin Mini) testing in Brazil (Source: BYD)
The price cut comes as BYD’s sales continue surging. With another 377,420 new energy vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) sold last month, the Chinese automaker has now sold over one million NEVs in 2025.
BYD’s EVs accounted for 416,388 while PHEV sales reached 569,710, an increase of 39% and 76% from last year, respectively.
Perhaps even more importantly, BYD sold over 206,000 vehicles overseas in 2025, more than doubling from last year. The Seagull EV is also sold in other global markets like Mexico and Brazil as the Dolphin Mini.
Later this year, it will launch in Europe as the Dolphin Surf, with expected prices starting under £20,000 ($26,000). Although it may not be the cheapest EV, BYD’s executive vice president, Stella Li, recently told Autocar it will be “the best value” when it arrives.
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Prior to the launch, only a fully loaded $60,000 Launch Edition Model Y was available to order since January, and had been delivered since early March.
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Now, North American buyers are able to buy a much cheaper version of the new Model Y for $49,000.
Only the Model Y Long Range AWD is available for now, but that’s Tesla’s most popular model in North America.
At the time, we noted that this is a great demand test for Tesla in the US amid some critical brand issues due to CEO Elon Musk.
We only have a few metrics to track the demand of the new Model Y in the US:
Delivery timelines on new orders
Available inventory
Discounts/incentives
For most US zip codes tested by Electrek with different Model Y configurations (wheels and paint colors), Tesla quotes delivery within “1-3 weeks”.
But we also found several zip codes on both the West Coast and the East Coast where Tesla claims it can deliver the new vehicle “today”:
This would point to Tesla already having vehicles in inventory despite launching it just 4 days ago.
But Tesla is hiding the inventory.
If you search for Model Y in Tesla’s new inventory, you can’t find any in the US at the time of writing:
However, Tesla is showing some units in inventory to people configuring new Model Ys.
Some potential buyers are reporting that Tesla has a tab that pops up and directs them to some new inventory available (via TroyTeslike on Patreon):
This confirms that Tesla already has new non-Launch Edition Model Y in inventory available for sale in the US – pointing to Tesla having no backlog of demand for the new vehicle.
Electrek’s Take
This is much worse than I thought. I thought that Tesla would build a backlog of demand for the new Model Y in the US from people who didn’t want the fully loaded version, but it looks like that backlog lasted 4 days.
Of course, it’s all because of Tesla and Elon, and brand destruction.
Many people who invested in the stock market lost a lot of money over the last few weeks, and these people often happen to be people who buy new cars.
Now, the only thing left is for Tesla to start offering discounts and subsidies financing – the latter likely coming first, as it is already the case with new Model 3 orders in the US.
The good news for Tesla is that if Trump continues to crash the stock market, the Fed will likely have to reduce rates, making Tesla’s 0% financing cheaper to subsidize.
That’s a fun balancing act.
Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tesla offer incentives on the new Model Y in the US within the next 2 weeks – way ahead of schedule.
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