Can a Tesla Veteran, a Design Legend, and a First-Time Founder Make America Fall in Love With Tiny Trucks?

Americans love their supersize pickups, but Telo Trucks delivers like a traditional vehicle in a Mini Cooper-size electric. There’s even room for your dog.

BY ROB VERGER, SENIOR EDITOR @ROBVERGER

Like millions of Americans, Jason Marks drives a pickup truck. It’s a blue 2012 Toyota Tacoma with more than 200,000 miles, and he loves it. “Having a truck is maybe fundamentally American in many ways,” Marks says. “I don’t ever not want to have a truck.”

But he also sees a problem with pickups in the United States. “We’re going in the wrong direction,” he says. “The vehicles are just getting bigger and bigger every year.” Marks, who lives in San Francisco, admits his Tacoma can feel too bulky for city life. 

So what if pickup trucks got smaller instead of bigger, making them easier to park and maneuver in urban environments? What if the truck was about the size of a Mini Cooper but could, through thoughtful design and engineering, fit five adults in the cab—even if the middle seat in the back was snug—and........

© Inc.com