Future Ford Pickups Could Get Extendable Beds And Side Walls

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for extendable beds and side walls that may be used in future Ford pickups, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on February 17^th, 2022, published on September 17^th, 2024, and assigned serial number 12090912.

The Ford Authority Take

In the past, The Blue Oval has filed a bevy of patents exploring possible ways that it may make future Ford pickups more utilitarian, including ideas for an extendable cargo bed side wall, an extendable cargo bed floor, and an extendable bed with a step built in. Now, this newly published patent somewhat combines all of those ideas into one – this time, for extendable beds and side walls that may be used in future Ford pickups, too.

The concept behind this new patent filing is similar to the ones we’ve seen in the past in that Ford proposes utilizing a bed floor in a pickup – as well as side walls – that can extend outward, effectively increasing the truck’s cargo capacity. To do this, Ford proposes using a special floor assembly that can fold outward, as well as inner portions for the side walls. This is an especially useful idea given the fact that the popularity of SuperCrew and Crew Cab models has left modern Ford trucks with shorter beds, which aren’t quite as accommodating as they used to be.

On top of that, Ford could use some of this extra space for other purposes – such as hiding tool storage in the bed side fenders, which would be exposed when the bed slides out, either on the inside or outside. The possibilities here are many, and potentially very useful, which seemingly makes this patent quite likely to one day come to fruition. Throw in the fact that Ford has filed multiple patents centered around essentially the same exact idea, and that possibility seems even more likely.