# TELO Trucks

> TELO Trucks is a San Carlos, California EV startup building the MT1, a compact all-electric pickup that packs the bed length and towing muscle of a mid-size truck into the road footprint of a two-door MINI Cooper. Founded in 2022 by Jason Marks, Forrest North, and designer Yves Behar, the company argues that American trucks got needlessly huge and that cities deserve a five-seat, five-foot-bed pickup that parks anywhere. With 12,000-plus preorders and a $20M Series A backed by Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, TELO is targeting first deliveries by the end of 2026.

- **Founded:** 2022
- **Headquarters:** San Carlos, California, United States
- **Founders:** Jason Marks (CEO & Co-Founder), Forrest North (CTO & Co-Founder), Yves Behar (Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder)
- **Team size:** ~32 employees
- **Products:** TELO MT1, Solar integration (with Aptera)
- **Notable:** Amassed 12,000+ preorders representing over $600M in reservation value, Raised a $20M Series A in September 2025, co-led by Yves Behar and Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning, Attracted investment from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff

## Products & services

- **TELO MT1** — A compact all-electric crew-cab pickup measuring 152 inches long - shorter than a two-door MINI Cooper - seating five adults with a five-foot bed that extends to eight feet via a folding midgate. Range up to 350 miles, 6,600 lb towing, up to 2,000 lb payload, and 250 kW DC fast charging (20-80% in about 20 minutes). Starting around $41,520.
- **Solar integration (with Aptera)** — Optional integrated solar kits - a solar cab top, solar tonneau bed cover, and solar camper top - supplied through an agreement with Aptera Motors.

## Achievements

- Amassed 12,000+ preorders representing over $600M in reservation value
- Raised a $20M Series A in September 2025, co-led by Yves Behar and Tesla co-founder Marc Tarpenning
- Attracted investment from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff
- Built a functioning compact EV pickup on roughly $8M over three years - a widely cited example of automotive capital efficiency
- Engineered a 152-inch truck with Tacoma-class bed length and 6,600 lb towing capacity

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Closed a $20M Series A co-led by Yves Behar and Marc Tarpenning, with Marc Benioff participating; total raised reaches ~$28M.
- **2025** — Announced an agreement with Aptera Motors for integrated solar panel options on the MT1.
- **2026** — Targeting first MT1 customer deliveries by the end of the year.

## Links

- Website: https://telotrucks.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/telo-trucks
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/TELOtrucks
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCerVxzrQcaLOGOwXB-3CVEQ
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/telotrucks/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/telo-trucks
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-10