Ram Designed A Transforming Fastback Pickup That’s Better For Work Than A Cybertruck
Is it the shape of things to come?
Ram’s parent company Stellantis has applied for a patent on a transforming truck bed cap that could make its way onto a future model.
The “Angled Bed Cap For Truck” features triangular panels that stow in the bed sides and can be raised manually or with power assist.
They are designed to work with a flat bed cover that is lifted into a position where its front end meets the pickup cab’s roof and its rear end meets the top of the tailgate as the panels fill the gaps on either side.
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“The cover moves from a position substantially parallel to the bed, with the panels in a retracted position, to an angled position, with the panels in a raised position, providing improved aerodynamic characteristics,” is how the application describes it. It also mentions the possibility of adding a deployable spoiler at the trailing edge to further tune the aerodynamic profile. The drag reduction could improve efficiency in any truck and extend the range of an electric truck. The result is similar to the Tesla Cybertruck’s shape, which has fixed sail panels and a bed cover that retracts like a roll top desk with this exact goal in mind.
The biggest issues with the Cybertruck are that the panels make it difficult to reach into the bed from the sides, reducing its utility in many applications, and also complicate the addition of utility racks and service bodies. Ram’s design preserves a more traditional horizontal bed side top.
One thing the patent doesn’t discuss is a method for storing the cover when it is open, although the included sketches suggest it is the folding type.
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While it’s not known if Ram will ever put the system into production, Ford owners can get something similar today, just without the transforming part.
Michigan Vehicle Solutions has designed a bed cap for the F-150 it calls the Aero X, which has a fastback design inspired by the 1969 Mustang Mach 1 and has an integrated liftback to make it easier to access the bed. The Aero X currently lists for $7,500, but an open version without the liftback section is $4,500.