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TELO gave us an exclusive opportunity to get up close and personal with a pre-production version of its tiny electric truck, slated to ship its first units later this year.

We first learned about TELO back in 2023, when the company announced it was planning to build an electric truck the size of a Mini but with a bed the size of a Hummer’s.

it sounds impossible, but there’s a lot of wasted space in vehicle designs these days, especially trucks where automakers consider an enormous front hood as an important part of design (despite the inherent deadliness of this design decision).

TELO went another direction, focusing on a truck with maximum utility and minimum footprint – and says it will be able to offer utility on par with today’s mid-size pickup trucks like the Toyota Tacoma, but in a package that’s only 152 inches long (for comparison, tiny Japanese kei cars are 134 inches long maximum).

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Now, less than two years later, TELO has completed its first full pre-production driveable vehicle, and we were invited out to have a look and take a ride. Previously, TELO had only made a design mule and a go kart-like chassis, but now it’s got something that actually looks like a real car (and includes the recent design/aero changes from when the truck got its configurator and $41k base price).

The design changes are mainly aerodynamic, including a more rounded roofline and moving the “pill” design element near the front wheel well, where it now helps airflow around the exposed front wheel, reducing turbulence. TELO says it was able to improve aerodynamics significantly through the use of CFD aerodynamic optimization software, saving on expensive wind tunnel time.

But we also got a first look at some features we hadn’t seen before.

For example, the mid-gate. The bed is normally 62 inches long and 49 inches wide (between the wheel arches, so you can fit a sheet of plywood), but when folding down the rear seats, that gets extended even further. The bed is also covered with L-tracks all around, making it easy to tie down gear.

The native NACS port is under the driver’s taillight

That said, we’ve seen a lot of truck prototypes that promise a mid-gate, and then they don’t end up on the production vehicle. So we’ll put an asterisk on that feature for now.

And note: that bed is half a foot longer than the bed of a Rivian R1T and the same size as a Hummer EV’s bed, despite TELO being nothing close to the size of those trucks.

Another neat storage feature is one that seems to have been cribbed from Rivian’s “gear tunnel,” a long, lockable storage space underneath the bed and the passenger compartment which is useful for dirty gear that you don’t want to bring inside the cab, but don’t want to leave in the bed. TELO has a similar (but smaller) space, which it dubs the “monster tunnel” – because, like a monster, it’s… under the bed (hiyoooooo!).

On the interior, there isn’t exactly a lot of space, but there’s enough for normal-sized people – and even abnormally-sized ones. One of the journalists in attendance was 6’10”, and he said “I fit fine.”

Both front and rear seats had plenty of headroom and good foot room, owing to the floating seat design which allows rear seat passengers to put their feet under the front seat.

The knee room was perhaps a slight limitation, especially on rear seat ingress, as the door aperture is taller and more narrow than most. Same with the driver seat, my knees could have had a little more room, but we didn’t get a chance to fiddle with seat and steering wheel adjustments, so this is probably a solvable problem.

And while we didn’t sit inside the truck for long, it’s certainly no less comfortable than other working vehicles we’ve tried (step vans, box trucks and so on) despite being a fraction of the overall size.

The cockpit area includes a wide center touchscreen and several gauges in the driver instrument cluster, though none of this was anywhere near final. Some were static screens, some could be interacted with via remote, but the touchscreen wasn’t working yet.

Then, I got the chance to be the first journalist to ever take a ride in TELO’s pre-production vehicle.

It was just a quick ride around the block in the industrial part of town, but it proved that this isn’t just a design project.

TELO says the truck will have options for either a 300hp single motor or 500hp dual motor configuration. While the truck we rode in had two motors, they were limited to 40% of power for the time being. So the truck got around fine, but nothing exceptional.

The next question is whether a tiny truck even needs 500hp to begin with, but that can wait for another day – perhaps until we’re able to put it to payload/towing tests. TELO says it has a payload capacity of 1,600lbs and towing capacity of 6,600lbs.

TELO took its car out to the wilds of… Los Angeles, to show it can handle some dirt

TELO also could branch out into offering some sort of off-road package, and pointed out its nearly 90º approach angle, given that the front tires go all the way up to the very front of the vehicle.

And here you can hear the wonderful quiet of electric mobility… before any sort of dumb noisemakers get added and spoil the fun:

The truck is so small that I didn’t really have to step back or zoom out in order to capture it all in frame

Despite being small, the truck is still rather hefty with a 4,400lb curb weight, regardless of battery option (the larger option uses newer, denser cells to pack more energy in a similar weight). This is still thousands of pounds less than other electric trucks (~6-7k lbs), but (understandably) quite a bit more than the Mini SE (~3,200lbs), and even not far off from the Toyota Tacoma (~4,500lb) to which TELO compares itself.

Speaking of that comparison – the TELO truck is a full five feet shorter than the “compact” Toyota Tacoma or four feet shorter than the Maverick, to say nothing of other enormous vehicles in the US. TELO gave us a live demo of what the truck looks like next to both a Mini Cooper SE and a full size RAM 2500 pickup.

This really underlines how much of our space we’ve given up for something that doesn’t really offer a whole lot more utility (that you probably won’t use anyway). And how many of our lives we’re giving up for those pedestrian-murdering truck front ends.

Because, as trucks and SUVs keep getting larger, and automakers keep pushing more and more people into them, and emissions and pedestrian deaths keep rising, the US desperately needs more small vehicles – and needs a company that will actually try to sell them, instead of ignoring they exist and pushing people towards bigger.

So we here at Electrek are quite excited for what this TELO truck represents – finally, the advent of a reasonably sized utility vehicle. They’re available in Europe, they’re available in Japan… but this would be the first available here, at least in a very long time.

TELO offers a really compelling argument here: a vehicle that’s capable but isn’t impossible to park, isn’t excessive in terms of material inputs, and doesn’t contribute to the ever-rising plague of pedestrian deaths from oversized vehicles. If you occasionally want a truck for truck things, but otherwise want an efficient vehicle that actually fits places, this seems like a good option.

TELO has many modular configurations in mind, including a “mini-SUV,” and potentially a third row in the bed – if it can get past homologation.

And TELO’s $41k base price and 260 miles of range compare favorably to the most popular commercial EV: Ford’s E-Transit, with an 89kWh battery, 159 mile range and $51k base price (which is now the same as the gas version). That’s a much larger vehicle, but for a company that doesn’t need that much space but still wants to do intra-city deliveries, tradesman work, etc., this could be a great option

All in all, despite TELO not being all that old of a company (or that large – it only has 11 employees to date, with one cofounder being Forrest North, an early Tesla employee, and the board including Marc Tarpenning, a Tesla founder), it has produced a pretty neat vehicle which seemed pretty well put together – at least for the few minutes we got to ride in it.

It’s an important milestone given that TELO says it will ship its first vehicles by the end of this year. That’s a very close timeline – though it’s only expecting to ship maybe 100 cars this year, and will do so through contract manufacturing, which keeps startup costs low.

You may remember another EV startup that used contract manufacturing – Fisker. That didn’t go so well, but one thing Fisker did do was come out almost on time (it was unveiled in 2020 with a 2022 release date, and the first Ocean was delivered in May 2023 – a pretty tight timeline, as far as car manufacturing goes). So, hopefully TELO doesn’t let its timeline slip too much here.

I still think it’s optimistic that this truck will ship this year, because there is still a lot to be done before this truck is production ready. But TELO is at least not overstating its volume ambitions. It only expects to ship in very limited numbers at first, and will scale manufactuirng later through its contract manufacturing process. Though it hasn’t yet announced a volume production partner, it says it’s in discussions with several different well-known manufacturers, and we’ll learn more about which one they’re working with once ink hits paper.

You can view the TELO configurator here, where you can also make a $152 refundable reservation (the same as the length of the vehicle in inches). TELO says it has 5,000 reservations already – up 1,300 from the last time we checked in December.

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Tesla launches first full V4 Supercharger station with 500 kW capacity

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September 29, 2025

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Tesla launches first full V4 Supercharger station with 500 kW capacity

Tesla Supercharger V4 peak charge rate

Tesla has finally turned on its first full V4 Supercharger (stalls plus cabinets), capable of 500 kW charging, marking the end of a confusing rollout of the next-generation chargers over the last three years.

The Supercharger network is by far the best large-scale electric vehicle fast-charging network in the world.

It is arguably the best thing Tesla has ever done.

The network leads in terms of scale, usefulness, reliability, and overall ease of use. In Europe and Asia, there’s decent competition, but in North America, there’s no close second.

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However, there’s one aspect of fast-charging networks where Tesla doesn’t lead: charging rate and, therefore, time.

For a decade, other charging networks have achieved and even surpassed a 350 kW peak charge rate.

In fact, in 2016, when Tesla started talking about its next-gen V3 Superchargers, I asked CEO Elon Musk if it would be capable of 350 kW charging, and he suggested that it would be higher than that – calling 350 kW “a children’s toy”:

That comment didn’t age well as Tesla’s V3 Supercharger peaked at 250 kW, and it has been the norm for almost the last 10 years.

In 2023, Tesla started deploying “V4 Superchargers”, but the rollout has been confusing.

For the first time, Tesla claimed that V4 Superchargers finally achieved “children’s toy” capacity of 350 kW, but the automaker didn’t deploy genuine “V4” Superchargers at the time.

Instead, Tesla only deployed V4 charging stalls or posts, but the power actually comes from the charging cabinets, and those remained the same V3 cabinets.

The main change with the new charging posts was the introduction of a new, longer charging cable, which enabled easier accessibility for non-Tesla vehicles, many of which have different charge port locations.

Tesla Supercharger V4 official

Late last year, Tesla finally announced that the first full V4 Superchargers, featuring the new cabinets and up to 500 kW charging, would arrive in 2025.

Earlier this year, the automaker also announced that it managed to boost the capacity of its V4 posts with V3 cabinets to 325 kW.

Tesla’s first real V4 Supercharger is here

Today, Tesla confirmed that its first full V4 Supercharger station (with V4 stalls and power cabinets) has been activated in Redwood City, California:

The automaker shared an image of the first people to charge at the new V4 Supercharger station:

However, you can’t take advantage of the new capacity with a Model 3. Only Tesla’s Cybertruck can use the full capacity of the new V4 Superchargers.

Tesla shared a video of a Cybertruck reaching the max capacity:

The video showed the Cybertruck virtually completely depleted. Therefore, it’s unclear how long it can maintain the peak 500 kW charge rate, but the video suggests that it can charge from 0 to 80% state of charge in 35 minutes, which is a great charge time.

For now, only Tesla vehicles can charge at the new V4 Superchargers, but the automaker aims to make it available to non-Tesla vehicles soon.

Many more non-Tesla models can take advantage of the higher charge than Tesla models, which is limited to the Cybertruck.


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EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max and Ultra stations launch with up to $2,000 savings + FREE gear from $759, Bluetti Early Prime Day Sale, more

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September 29, 2025

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EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max and Ultra stations launch with up to ,000 savings + FREE gear from 9, Bluetti Early Prime Day Sale, more

We’ve got an exciting launch kicking off this week’s Green Deals, with EcoFlow’s DELTA 3 series expanding to include the new DELTA 3 Max and DELTA 3 Ultra power stations with up to $2,000 in early-bird savings and FREE bundled gear starting from $759. Right behind those is Bluetti’s fresh Early Prime Day Sale with up to 63% discounts and some select exclusive savings, which is seeing the latest Apex 300 station dropping to a new $1,394 low, among many other offers. There’s also some savings to be had on an EGO chainsaw package, as well as 60V Greenworks snow blowers, and other ongoing Early Prime Day savings waiting for you below. And don’t forget about all the hangover deals from last week collected at the bottom of the page, rounded together within our latest edition of Electrified Weekly.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

EcoFlow launches new DELTA 3 Max and Ultra power stations with up to $2,000 in savings + FREE gear starting from $759

While its Early Prime Day Sale continues through October 6, EcoFlow is launching the parallel early-bird deals on its new DELTA 3 series of power stations, which are not yet available on Amazon. Things start with EcoFlow’s DELTA 3 Max Portable Power Station (and bundles) starting from $759.05 shipped for the station with a FREE trolley, after using the code 25EFAFFD3S at checkout for an additional 5% off. This new power solution will carry a $1,499 MSRP once these early launch savings end on October 12, with this being your first chance at cash savings. This is quite the release discount as the 49% markdown we’re seeing during this period cuts $740 off the going rate and sets the bar for future discounts/sales. Head below to learn more about this new unit and check out its bundle savings options.

EcoFlow’s new DELTA 3 Max power station brings a sizeable increase in capacity and output over the DELTA 3 Classic (formerly known as the DELTA 3 Plus), with a doubled 2,048Wh LiFePO4 battery that can be expanded higher than its predecessor up to 10,240Wh using either the DELTA 3, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, or DELTA 2 smart extra batteries. It can provide up to 2,400W of steady power through its nine output ports (four ACs, three USB-Cs, one USB-A, and one car port), surging as high as 3,400W to support hungrier devices/appliances thanks to the X-Boost 3.0 tech installed.

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One thing to note here is that this model does have an upgraded DELTA 3 Max Plus counterpart launching today too, which brings much of the same features, just with an increased output capacity of 3,000W to 6,000W. Coming rated for a minimum of 10 years of continuous power, you’ll have four primary ways to charge the DELTA 3 Max: via a standard AC outlet, with a gas generator, using the car port/ separately sold alternator charger (bundles below), or by connecting up to its max 500W solar input.

***Note: the extra savings have not been factored into any of the prices below, so be sure to use the code 25EFAFFD3S at checkout to score the best possible launch deals!

EcoFlow’s DELTA 3 Max launch deals (with FREE trolley):

EcoFlow’s DELTA 3 Max Plus launch deals (with FREE 10k power bank):

EcoFlow’s DELTA 3 Ultra launch deals (with FREE 220W solar panel):

EcoFlow’s DELTA 3 Ultra Plus launch deals (with FREE 220W solar panel):

Of course, if you’re looking for an alternate unit, especially ones with much larger capacities and capabilities, be sure to check out EcoFlow’s full Early Prime Day Sale lineup here, with up to 65% discounts, bonus savings, free gifts, and more – all starting from $169.

Man and woman running through field with Bluetti power station

Bluetti takes up to 63% off power stations and bundles in its Early Prime Day Sale + select exclusive savings – all from $329

Bluetti has officially launched its Early Prime Day Sale running through October 6 with up to 63% discounts, as well as continuing exclusive bonus savings on the brand’s latest release. Those bonus savings drop the new Apex 300 Versatile Power Station to $1,394.10 shipped, after using the exclusive code 9TO5TOYS10F at checkout (which only works for Apex 300 purchases). This new unit would normally run you $2,399 at full price outside of these sales and exclusive pricing for our readers, which we’ve seen go as low as $1,439 in past sales with the exclusive savings since hitting the market in August. Now you can score it lower than ever, as the 42% combined markdown here cuts $1,005 off the tag for the all-time lowest price we have tracked. Head below to learn more about this unit and the many others benefiting from discounts during this event.

If you want to learn more about this station, or browse the full lineup of deals, be sure to check out our original coverage of this Early Prime Day Sale here.

man cutting through log with EGO 56V 16-inch cordless chainsaw

EGO’s 56V 16-inch cordless chainsaw covers storm debris, firewood collection, more at $219 annual low

Amazon is offering the EGO Power+ 56V 16-inch Cordless Chainsaw with 2.5Ah battery at $219 shipped. This package would normally run for $279 without any discounts, which we’ve seen drop lowest to $219 in 2025, while going as low as $189 in a one-time discount a year ago. You’re looking at a 22% markdown that has been holding strong through September, with $60 slashed from the price for the third-best rate we have tracked over all, and the best price of 2025.

If you want to learn more about this chainsaw, or the other EGO tools seeing notable discounts, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

man clearing snow in yard with Greenworks Pro 60V 22-inch cordless snow blower

You can prepare for snowfall with these 60V Greenworks snow blower kits starting from $360 (Save up to $188)

As we are stepping into fall, winter is not far off, which means we’re starting to see more frequent discounts on snow-clearing tools at Amazon, like the Greenworks Pro 60V 22-inch Cordless Single-Stage Snow Blower with two 5.0Ah batteries at $562.49 shipped, matching the price direct from the brand’s website. Normally going for $750 at full price, discounts over 2025 have mostly kept things above $630, though there was a one-time fall to $548 back in January, and a drop lower to the $490 low at the end of 2024. This is a 25% markdown that cuts $188 off the going rate for the second-best price of 2025 and the third-lowest rate overall. Head below to learn more about this model and its counterparts that are also seeing discounts.

If you want to learn more about this pro-tier snow-clearing solution, or its cheaper alternative, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

EcoFlow DELTA 3
EcoFlow DELTA 3
EcoFlow DELTA 3

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


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BYD is discounting EVs as much as 50% in this brutal overseas market

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2 hours ago

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September 29, 2025

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BYD is discounting EVs as much as 50% in this brutal overseas market

BYD-discounts-EVs-overseas

BYD is bringing China’s EV price war, which it helped ignite, overseas. After launching steep discounts of up to 50% on its most popular EVs, BYD wants to charge up sales in this key overseas region

BYD is heavily discounting EVs in Japan

It has been over two years since BYD introduced its first vehicle in Japan in early 2023, but the company has yet to experience the explosive sales growth it has seen in other overseas regions.

It isn’t all BYD’s fault. Japan is a notoriously brutal market for foreign automakers. Domestic brands, like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, dominate sales year after year, mostly with low-cost city cars.

Lower-priced vehicles are BYD’s specialty, and one of the main factors driving its impressive growth in China and overseas regions, including Southeast Asia, parts of Europe, and Central and South America. But Japan is a different beast.

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Since entering the market in January 2023, BYD has sold just 5,300 vehicles in Japan through June of this year. The company now offers four EVs in Japan and just opened its 45th sales location.

BYD-discounts-EVs-overseas
BYD Dolphin (left) and Atto 3 (right) at the 2024 Tokyo Spring Festival (Source BYD Japan)

To attract buyers, BYD launched an aggressive campaign offering discounts of up to 50% off EVs, including government subsidies.

“Maybe it’s time for an EV,” the company is promoting. On BYD’s website, the Seal, Atto 3, and Dolphin are all listed as on sale.

BYD-discounts-EVs-overseas
The BYD Atto 3 goes on sale in Japan (Source: BYD Japan)

The Atto 3, one of BYD’s top-selling electric SUVs, starts at just ¥4.18 million ($28,100), down from ¥4.4 million ($29,600) earlier this year.

Although the price cuts were effective in China, they could backfire in Japan. According to Bloomberg Intelligence senior auto analyst Tatsuo Yoshida, the move could hurt resale value and risk upsetting current BYD drivers who paid higher prices for the same vehicle.

BYD-discounts-EVs-Japan
BYD Atto 3 (left) and Dolphin (right) EVs in Japan (Source: BYD)

Meanwhile, it may not all be about market share for BYD. “Winning Japan isn’t the point; leaving a mark is. Earning even a sliver of recognition from the most demanding customers in the world matters for BYD,” Yoshida said.

What BYD really wants, “is to have a track record of doing business in Japan with the world’s most discerning, quality conscious customers,” Bloomberg’s senior auto analyst explained, “even if it’s not economically rational.”

Can BYD make its mark in Japan? It’s planning to launch its first electric kei car, the small city cars that fill Japan’s streets, in the second half of 2026.

BYD’s mini electric car will compete with the Nissan Sakura, Japan’s top-selling EV, and the recently launched Honda N-ONE e, the brand’s first compact electric vehicle. Honda launched the N-ONE e on September 12, starting at just ¥2.7 million ($18,300).

Source: Bloomberg, BYD Japan


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