A pair of recent General Motors patent filings show potential extendable cargo bed systems for pickup trucks.
Such a feature could give drivers the cargo capability of an extended bed after they need it, while maintaining the smaller footprint of a short-bed pickup the remaining of the time.
One application, titled “Pickup Truck Cargo Bed Extension Systems,” was published by the USA Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 12. On this application, GM describes an extendable tailgate that would create as much as an 8-foot-long cargo area.
For the design, the tailgate and floor would slide back to elongate the cargo area, with an option for hinged panels that may completely enclose the world between the tailgate and the cargo-bed partitions.
General Motors dynamic cargo box patent image
On Feb. 27, USPTO also published a GM patent application titled “Truck Having a Dynamically Adjustable Box.” On this version, the bed is split into upper and lower sections, with the lower section mounted to the truck’s chassis and the upper section in a position to extend to create a bigger cargo box. The rear bumper is also attached to the upper bed as well.
GM is not the only automaker working on this concept. Ford has filed multiple patent applications for extendable beds, exploring ideas like a slide-out bed floor, an inner cargo box that telescopes outward, and a version with built-in steps and ramps.
So with GM and Ford already locked in a tailgate war that has seen each automakers develop elaborate multifunction tailgates for his or her latest full-size pickups, perhaps extendable beds shall be the following stage of the Detroit automakers’ pickup rivalry.
This Article First Appeared At www.motorauthority.com
