Born In The USA: Telo Trucks & The All-Electric Mini Pickup Built For The City
Episode 269
Jason Marks, CEO of Telo Trucks, joins the show to unpack why the MT1 is essentially a Toyota Tacoma in a Mini Cooper-sized package and why that matters for cities, fleets, and the future of EV pickups. We get into the real pain points of driving and parking trucks in dense urban cores, how Japanese Kei trucks inspired Telo’s size, and why half of their paid reservations are from commercial customers who are desperate for something smaller, safer, and smarter. Jason also explains how starting from a blank sheet of paper, plus years in automotive safety and his co‑founder’s battery chops, led to a physics-first approach: engineering a 5‑star crash structure in just 14 inches of front crush, then backing into the entire vehicle layout. He also reveals how feedback from his 5,000+ Discord community pushed Telo to an 800‑volt-capable split pack, aiming to take full advantage of high‑power DC fast chargers. Then, we close with his spiciest take on what’s fundamentally broken about today’s full-size EV pickups: the runaway weight spiral that’s killing efficiency, jacking up costs, and eroding America’s global competitiveness. Don’t sleep on this episode!
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