Future Ford Pickups Could Get Extendable Bed With Step

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an extendable bed with a step that may be used in future Ford pickups, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on February 17^th, 2022, published on April 9^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 11951948.

The Ford Authority Take

As it looks to continue to innovate in the hotly-contested world of pickups, Ford continues to file patents outlining ideas for features that we may wind up using in that particular type of vehicle at some point in the future. That list includes ideas for things like an extendable cargo bed side wall, an extendable cargo bed floor, and an extendable bed floor and side walls, most notably. Now, this newly filed patent builds upon those ideas with another interesting addition – a step integrated into the extendable bed portion that may wind up being used in future Ford pickups, too.

Ford has offered bed steps for a number of years now, both ones that are built into the bumper and retractable units that are housed in the tailgate, along with grab handles, to boot. However, this new patent filing shows us another place where a step might prove useful – in the extendable portion of the bed as well.

This makes quite a bit of sense given how popular bed steps are in general, coupled with Ford’s desire to explore ways to incorporate an extendable bed into its future pickups. If this idea comes to fruition, it would be easy to gain access into the bed even with that portion extended, which will undoubtedly appeal to those that have trouble getting into a truck bed otherwise.

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