Unbelievably tiny truck has a head-turning design — and a seriously powerful new feature
Telo announced in January that it has plans to offer three solar panel kits for its tiny MT1 electric pickup trucks. The kits include solar panels on the rooftop that integrate with the cab, a solar camper shell, and a solar truck tonneau cover.
The solar panels, which solar car company Aptera will supply, can generate up to 200 watts at peak sunlight. Telo says this gives the truck an additional 1-2 kWh of battery charge per day. The company aims to create the world's most efficient electric truck with the MT1, and this new solar panel integration upgrade can help make it an even more efficient alternative to gas cars.
Would you want EV-charging roads installed in your town?
Sign me up
Depends how much it costs
No way
I'm not sure
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
While electric vehicles are becoming popular alternatives to gas-powered vehicles, many drivers are still hesitant to make the switch. This is due to several factors, including range anxiety, charging accessibility, and sustainability concerns due to the environmental costs of building EVs and manufacturing their batteries.
The MT1's integrated solar panels help mitigate range anxiety and charging limitations by providing a continuous renewable power source. The solar panels extend battery life, reduce reliance on charging stations, and provide a renewable energy resource, which can help ease range anxiety.
One of the most common concerns about EVs is the environmental impact of mining for battery materials. However, according to University of Oxford researcher Hannah Ritchie, clean energy materials like lithium, cobalt, and copper require significantly less mining compared to fossil fuels.
The world currently mines about 16.5 billion tons of fossil fuels annually — more than 2,000% of the materials needed for clean energy, which is about 7.7 million tons. And, unlike oil and coal, these clean energy materials can be recycled, making EVs a more sustainable long-term solution.
Given Ritchie's findings on the environmental costs of clean energy minerals versus fossil fuels, switching to low-carbon technology like EVs seems like a viable alternative to gas cars. Beyond the environmental benefits, EVs can help cut routine maintenance and fuel costs and eliminate tailpipe emissions. And with the Telo MT1 getting solar panel integration, the electric truck can have an additional energy resource.
The MT1 is now available for pre-order for just $152, with solar panel kits expected to be available for separate pre-orders later this year. Telo announced that a prototype truck is currently in development but hasn't disclosed when it will become available.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
Why Is Telomir Pharmaceuticals Stock (TELO) Up 150% Today?
Telomir Pharmaceuticals (TELO) stock rocketed higher on Friday after the preclinical-stage biotechnology company posted data for Telomir-1. This is a potential cancer treatment in development that is currently in the preclinical stage. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. The big news today is Telomir-1's ability to reverse epigenetic gene silencing in aggressive human prostate cancer cells. This revelation comes from a study of these cells in mice. Telomir Pharmaceuticals noted that Telomir-1 outperformed Paclitaxel and Rapamycin, two cancer treatments, in this study. Telomir Pharmaceuticals CEO Erez Aminov said, 'This study provides novel and direct molecular evidence of Telomir-1's ability to reprogram cancer epigenetics. By potentially restoring the function of key tumor suppressor genes like STAT1, we're not just slowing tumor growth-we're turning the immune system back on.' Telomir Pharmaceuticals Stock Movement Today Telomir Pharmaceuticals stock was up 152.07% on Friday, extending a 5.22% rally from yesterday. Even so, the shares have fallen 70.63% year to date and 67.73% over the past 12 months. Today's rally came with heavy trading, as some 57 million shares changed hands, compared to a three-month daily average of about 381,000 units.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
ST Unveils High-Efficiency Contactor for Smooth EV Voltage Transition
Sensata Technologies Holding plc (ST) recently introduced High Efficiency Contactor (HEC), a cutting-edge solution designed to simplify voltage transitions from 400V to 800V electric vehicle (EV) architectures while enhancing system reliability, safety and efficiency. EV makers are shifting to 800V systems for faster charging, but most chargers today still use 400V. So, vehicles must work with both systems, creating a key challenge in the EV ecosystem. ST's HEC addresses this issue by enabling seamless battery reconfiguration between 400V and 800V systems, allowing EVs to efficiently interface with both old and new charging standards without compromise. Modern EVs often utilize dual battery packs for increased capacity and modularity. However, this poses challenges such as imbalances due to pack aging, uneven usage, or even failures in one of the packs, which can compromise vehicle performance or immobilize the vehicle entirely. ST's HEC is engineered to independently access and isolate either of the two 400V packs, enabling features like battery balancing and limp-home mode. This selective access functionality boosts battery longevity, enhances reliability in fault scenarios and improves overall vehicle reliability, a significant advantage for both end users and fleet operators. It also takes a hardware-centric safety approach by integrating three high-voltage contactor poles into a patent-pending design with mechanically synchronized contacts. This mechanical interlock ensures that only valid switching configurations are physically possible, eliminating the risk of incorrect switching due to software bugs, welded contacts, or mechanical shock. This creates a safer system that lowers the risk of serious faults and supports top safety and reliability standards. Key Capabilities of ST's HEC The system offers flexible configuration, supporting standard battery setups like Series-800V, Parallel-400V and Open-Isolated, along with single-pack options (A-only / B-only) for battery balancing and limp-home modes. Its inherently safe mechanical design prevents incorrect switching, removing the risk of short circuits. Built for robust performance, it can handle short-circuit events up to 25 kA and withstand mechanical shocks of more than 90g. The compact and lightweight form reduces system components by more than 50%, requiring no extra cooling or special equipment. Additionally, its bi-stable design needs no holding power, and the ultra-low contact resistance (under 50 µΩ) ensures high efficiency by minimizing energy loss and heat. Designed for demanding, safety-focused applications, the HEC handles continuous currents above 1000 A. It includes a built-in ASIL-D compliant position sensor for real-time diagnostics. In addition to enabling 400V/800V battery switching, Sensata's HEC works with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) setups, Megawatt (MW) charging and the North American Charging Standard (NACS/J3400), making it a flexible and future-ready solution for today's EV and energy systems. As EVs continue to evolve, infrastructure constraints, safety concerns and system inefficiencies have the potential to slow down its adoption. Sensata's HEC is poised to address these barriers, enabling a smooth and safe transition to 800V architectures, extending vehicle reliability and simplifying battery system integration. ST Gains From Strong Portfolio, Macro Woes Persist Sensata boasts a rich portfolio of high-voltage protection and battery management systems. It is also well-positioned with a diverse portfolio of high-value products. This includes a robust ICE portfolio, electrification opportunities for auto and HVOR, and advanced sensing and electrical protection solutions for industrial and aerospace customers. In June 2025, ST's subsidiary, Dynapower, introduced the MV Integrated PowerSkid — a cutting-edge solution designed to simplify and strengthen medium-voltage energy systems across key sectors like renewables, battery energy storage systems, data centers and green hydrogen. Nonetheless, the company is dealing with challenges from global economic uncertainty and changing trade policies. It also highlighted a temporary gap between paying tariffs and recovering those costs, which may negatively impact its quarterly performance. ST's Zacks Rank & Stock Price Performance ST currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Shares of the company have lost 19% in the past year against the Zacks Instruments – Control industry's growth of 10.2%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Other Key Picks From the Computer and Technology Space Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are NETGEAR, Inc. (NTGR), Ubiquiti Inc. (UI) and Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS). NTGR sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while UI and WTS carry a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. NETGEAR's earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 179.12%. In the last reported quarter, NTGR delivered an earnings surprise of 105.71%. Its shares have surged 89.3% in the past year. Ubiquiti earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 29.93%. In the last reported quarter, UI delivered an earnings surprise of 61.29%. UI shares have skyrocketed 170.2% over the past year. Watts Water's earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 6.57%. In the last reported quarter, WTS delivered an earnings surprise of 11.79%. Its shares have increased 28.1% in the past year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Sensata Technologies Holding N.V. (ST) : Free Stock Analysis Report NETGEAR, Inc. (NTGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ubiquiti Inc. (UI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Xi Jinping is questioning if all of China should chase the same AI and EV dreams
China's focus on EVs and AI industries is facing challenges amid price wars and overcapacity. Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently questioned if all of China should focus on the same high-tech sectors. China's top leadership has pledged to address intensive hyper-competition and price wars. China bet big on electric vehicles and artificial intelligence — but now its top leader is starting to question whether that bet has gone too far. On Monday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping questioned the country's single-minded focus on a few high-tech sectors. "When it comes to new projects, it's always the same few things: artificial intelligence, computing power, and new energy vehicles," Xi said at a meeting about urban development in Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily reported on Thursday. "Do all provinces in the country have to develop industries in these areas?" Xi asked. Xi's unusually blunt remarks questioning China's industrial strategy come as the country's top leadership recently pledged to curb intense "involutionary" competition. The remarks show a shift from Beijing's usual pushback against Western criticisms over industry overcapacity and cheap exports. The comments reflect growing concerns that China's pursuit of dominance in EVs and AI may be backfiring economically and politically. 'Involution' and a deflationary trap The hyper-competition has become especially acute in the EV sector, where an intense price war has squeezed margins and raised alarms about long-term sustainability. Beijing is now encouraging market consolidation and cracking down on unhealthy practices. These include abuses such as "compelling businesses to sell goods on a below-cost basis," wrote Lynn Song, ING's chief economist for Greater China, last week. This comes as deflationary pressure is worsening. China's producer price index, or PPI fell 3.6% in June, the steepest drop in nearly two years. That's not just bad news for businesses and China's economy. It also risks fueling trade tensions as Chinese exports become cheaper and flood global markets. China posted GDP growth of 5.3% in the first half of the year. Much of the momentum is likely driven by export frontloading ahead of new US tariffs and temporary consumption subsidies. Beneath the headline numbers, the Chinese economy remains under strain as consumer confidence remains depressed and youth unemployment stays high. "It appears the persistent PPI deflation has finally caught the attention of the top leadership in Beijing," wrote economists at Nomura last week. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
