TELO EV Urban Adventure Truck

The fuseproject team developed the TELO brand strategy and name alongside the vehicle design. Our challenge was to convey TELO’s surprisingly powerful and functional qualities while also signaling its compact and fun to drive character. We needed a brand that was assertive, but not aggressive, and friendly, but not cutesy. The name TELO, derived from ancient Greek for purpose, was inspired by the founding team’s vision for a future of mobility that is as purposeful as it is sustainable. Like the truck itself, it is compact, meaningful, and a bit playful.

TELO represents a complete re-envisioning of an EV truck's footprint and function. Thanks to a standard 60-inch truck bed and a four-door five-passenger spacious interior our design is fully functional for work and play. But we designed it for urban dwellers that need an agile workhorse for family and for work: Measuring only 152-inches, TELO is impressive in that it is the overall length of a MINI Cooper two-door SE. TELO has the interior and storage dimensions of a standard pickup, but in a length that can fit in small city streets and parking spots.

TELO’s design signature is its surprising lack of a long, sloping front-end. With no need for a large gas-powered engine, we moved the passenger space forward, dramatically shortening the overall length without compromising on safety. Shortening the front-end also improves the battery cooling process because air drafts more easily through the exposed front wheel wells.

TELO’s compact length means better visibility and safety, while opening a new world to its drivers who will no longer need to circle city blocks trying to find a spot to fit their oversized vehicle. The six-grooved headlights and clean fluid geometry differentiate TELO from the oversized aggressive look trucks have espoused lately, an expression of intelligent design and practical mindset. Battery cooling is visually-minimized by the front air intake. Front-exposed wheel wells direct airflow through the door and vent out the side through the rounded debossed side vents to improve aerodynamics. The door handles and taillights echo this design-language.

TELO’s fit-for-purpose EV truck provides ample space for passengers and cargo beyond what meets the eye thanks to our intelligent, clever functional design which provides drivers with a range of configuration options so that they can easily fit pets, gear and as many as eight passengers with an optional third bench seat and truck bed cover.

The truck bed’s generous size is expandable as we designed the mid-partition between the back-seat and the truck-bed to fold down and expand towards the interior of the truck. This feature enables four-by-eight-feet sheets of plywood to fit with the tailgate up, as well as long ladders, eight-feet surfboard and tools. These storage items are safely secured by the roll-up tonneau cover, making TELO the perfect vehicle to safely store work items and weekend gear.

Whether you’re roaming the city or traversing curvy coastal or mountainous roads, TELO is a groundbreaking shift in automotive design as the first compact pick-up truck that delivers full functionality and great design.

Building on the strategy and design language of the vehicle, the visual identity is designed to communicate the dynamic duality at the heart of TELO. The logo’s composed T mark reflects TELO’s easily configurable nature and its ease in urban environments and outdoor adventures alike. The brand colors, and vibrant green, in particular exemplifies expansive energy, an on-the-go attitude and commitment to sustainability. Lastly, the extended, uppercase type is bold and confident with a playful O shape that recalls the design language of the vehicle. The brand creates strong visibility for the vehicle and communicates a passion for adventures big and small.

We developed TELO's website with three clear goals in mind. First, we wanted visitors to clearly understand in the many ways TELO represents a new approach to vehicular design in both form and function. Second, we wanted to encourage community building, giving visitors a way to share their love of electric vehicles, urban adventures and more. Third - and of utmost importance - we wanted to create a conduit for TELO enthusiasts to safely and securely pay a down payment in order to pre-order their very own TELO in advance of its official release. Our use of expertly crafted side-by-side size comparison videos quickly and concisely reveals how TELO truly tops the competition in terms of overall length and truck bed capacity. Plus, by leveraging video highlighting the many ways TELO can be configured to meet the needs of urban, suburban and outdoor adventurers whilst also including industry-leading performance data like its its 350 mile travel range and its fast-charging capability, the site is at once informative and to-the-point. Our team established TELO's social accounts after doing diligent research on where their target users spent the most time online. We drive their digital branding, created newsletter signup and email capture portals and developed a robust, user-friendly, highly-secure payment platform enabling bottom-line growth by driving pre-orders at the moment of launch. TELO's well-conceived site is the cornerstone on which the company can continue to build as they grow over the years. Better still, its the entry way for the thousands-upon-thousands of passionate, active, highly-engaged community members can join together to express their love of all that TELO represents: sustainability, adventure and great design.