From Chevy’s Multi-Flex tailgate to Ram’s Multi-Function tailgate, and now Ford’s Pro Access tailgate, we are well and truly amid a tailgate war. If Ford has its way, the next front of that war may be fought further forward with the truck bed.
The automaker has filed a bevy of patents in the U.S. relating to truck beds, the latest offering a little extra storage space. The company is looking into “extendable cargo bed side walls having cargo bed access openings.”
The idea is basically to turn the truck bed’s sidewalls into a matchbox that can slide open to reveal extra storage behind the rear wheels. In images published with the United States Patent Office (and first noticed by Ford Authority) we can see what looks like a peg board for holding tools and other goodies.
Read: 2024 Ford F-150 Refresh Brings New Swinging Tailgate, Cheaper Hybrid And More
While we’re sure that no truck buyer would turn their nose up at extra storage space, it all feels a little elaborate. Especially when you consider that the 2024 F-150 has storage compartments in the same place that are accessible with a simple door. While that’s a little less secure, it’s also a little less complex, and it would be easier to get your tools out of if the system fails.
This may not be the only extra space that this patent provides. In its filing, Ford writes that the brake lights would continue to operate when the sidewalls are in their extended position, which may suggest that this would also provide drivers with extra bed space, though storage compartments appear to be the main feature Ford is concerned with in this document.
The automaker suggests that the extending bed would be best used by an electrified vehicle whose batteries can run an actuator to allow the bed to extend automatically. However, owners will also be able to extend the bed manually. In addition, it includes a tailgate that folds down to allow people easier access to the bed when the bed is extended.
Whether or not this technology makes it into production remains to be seen, but this and other patents suggest that nifty new technologies are coming to the tailgates of Ford trucks in the future.
