TELO, an electrical truck startup primarily based in Silicon Valley that’s designing a tiny electrical truck for the US market, has launched a configurator for its automobiles, with design updates and a lower-than-expected base worth… however don’t get too excited but, as a result of manufacturing remains to be many months away.
We first informed you about TELO final June, when the corporate introduced it was planning to construct an electrical truck the dimensions of a Mini however with a mattress the dimensions of a Hummer’s.
it sounds inconceivable, however there’s quite a lot of wasted house in automobile designs lately, particularly vehicles the place automakers think about an infinite entrance hood as an necessary a part of design (regardless of the inherent deadliness of this design resolution).
TELO went one other course, specializing in a truck with most utility and minimal footprint – and says will probably be capable of provide utility on par with at this time’s mid-size pickup vehicles just like the Toyota Tacoma, however in a package deal that’s solely 152 inches lengthy.
Within the interim, TELO has constructed a driveable chassis and been hiring some new expertise from elsewhere within the automotive business, but it surely’s nonetheless very a lot a tiny startup. The corporate has collected round 3,700 preorders as of at this time, at $152 a pop – the identical because the truck’s whole size in inches.
However at this time we’ve received information on an exterior design replace and one step nearer to manufacturing – an precise configurator, and with costs connected as properly.
The TELO configurator is fairly naked bones, with solely 3 selectable choices. TELO says that it’ll add extra choices and equipment “over the following few months,” so this isn’t every little thing but, but it surely’s a begin.
Most significantly although, the bottom worth, which TELO beforehand mentioned could be “beneath $50k,” is fairly a bit beneath $50k, at $41,520 to begin. Even higher, that’s beneath $35k to begin after considering the federal EV tax credit score.
That’s nonetheless actually a bit of change, but it surely’s lower than different EV vehicles on the street at this time, and it’s fairly a bit beneath expectations – which is sweet, as a result of $50k did really feel slightly excessive provided that one good thing about a smaller automobile needs to be cheaper price (much less stuff required to construct it, much less battery wanted to push it round, and so on).
Then there are alternatives – a 300hp single motor or 500hp twin motor drivetrain, with the latter costing $46,019 base – a $4,499 premium.
There’s additionally a 260mi “customary” or 350mi+ “lengthy vary” battery choice, with the latter costing an additional $3,980 {dollars}. Battery sizes are 79kWh for the smaller model, and 106kWh for the bigger one.
The configurator additionally has 8 colour choices, although these are all simply renders. There’s no extra value connected to those paint choices (…but).
The renders reveal some small design updates that TELO has been teasing not too long ago, largely for aerodynamic causes so as to optimize its effectivity.
TELO says it modified the realm across the wheel entry/exit, some small adjustments on the entrance, and a barely extra rounded roofline all to enhance aerodynamics with out a lot change within the automobile’s form. The corporate used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software program from AirShaper to assist in these design adjustments – less expensive than renting time at one of many world’s few wind tunnels.
And essentially the most notable change, to our eyes, is relocation of the truck’s “divot” on the aspect to close the entrance wheel properly as an alternative of alongside the B-pillar. Whereas it was a particular function, it does appear slightly extra pure in its new place.
We haven’t but seen a bodily prototype with these new design updates, and we think about issues may change extra earlier than manufacturing. TELO says it’s nonetheless on monitor for its first buyer deliveries to begin on the late finish of 2025 – however we’ll need to see in the event that they’re capable of persist with that timeline or not, as timelines have a tendency to slide within the EV startup realm. It intends to ramp into bigger contract manufacturing following these first buyer deliveries.
You may view the TELO configurator right here, the place you may also make a $152 refundable reservation for a TELO truck. If you have already got a preorder, you’ll be able to seek for your preorder and add a configuration to your order, although as talked about above, there’ll most likely be extra choices to configure as time goes on.
Electrek’s Take
We’re fairly enthusiastic about what TELO represents, because the US market merely doesn’t have any small vehicles, and even the “compact” vehicles which are on the market are nonetheless huge – for instance, the “compact” Tacoma is a full 5 ft longer than the TELO.
I’ve written so much about how we have to knock it off with these ridiculous huge automobiles in America (and the way the federal government is lastly doing one thing about it).
So TELO affords a very compelling argument right here, a automobile that’s succesful however isn’t inconceivable to park, isn’t extreme when it comes to materials inputs, and doesn’t contribute to the ever-rising plague of pedestrian deaths from outsized automobiles.
The one factor to boring that pleasure is that, whereas it is promising a truck that isn’t extreme in measurement, it was nonetheless slightly extreme in different methods. We initially solely heard a few 106kWh battery choice, which is across the measurement as in hulking 3-row electrical SUVs popping out lately, and a $50k base worth didn’t put it under the value vary of different EV vehicles on the market.
So the supply of a smaller battery and a a lot decrease base worth solely makes this all of the extra compelling. Sure, Individuals do have “greater quantity, higher automobile” illness, and to some extent it’s essential cater to that, however given TELO already represents an announcement to counter that perspective, I’d prefer to see the corporate go all-in in that course.
Particularly since probably the greatest features I can see for this automobile could be for intra-city use. Small companies that want a truck however don’t want a big truck, or that may profit from having one thing extra parkable for city environments, received’t want 350 miles of vary. There are many small vehicles like this out there in the remainder of the world, and companies in Europe and Japan make nice use of them.
If TELO can hit an analogous or larger degree of intra-city utility as for instance the Ford E-Transit (with an 89kWh battery, 159 mile vary and $51k base worth – the identical because the fuel model), however beat them on worth as they’ve introduced, there’s actually a market there.
So, whereas it is a comparatively small replace at this time, it’s nonetheless fairly thrilling to see TELO transferring ahead, and transferring in the fitting course.
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