A tonneau cowl is often a easy system that offers objects in a pickup mattress a little bit of safety towards the weather and prying eyes. However Ford could also be engaged on one thing a bit extra elaborate.
A current patent submitting from the automaker particulars a tonneau cowl comprised of movable panels that may be reconfigured in a number of methods to deflect air and cut back aerodynamic drag.
The patent utility, which was filed with america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) in early 2022 and revealed on Nov. 30, describes a tonneau cowl comprised of three roughly triangular panels.
Hinges and actuators enable the panels to maneuver, going from flat to an angled form not in contrast to the profile of a Tesla Cybertruck mattress, amongst different configurations. Ford additionally mentions a rear-fairing configuration particularly for deflecting air away from the rear of the automobile.
Ford reconfigurable tonneau cowl patent picture
The panels might be made out of onerous supplies like polymer, fiberglass, aluminum, or composites, or from vinyl or canvas supported by a body, Ford suggests within the utility. Their motion might be coordinated by a central controller linked to automobile sensors which might, for instance, elevate a few of the panels to deflect air out of the mattress when the automobile reaches a sure velocity.
EVs have revived automakers’ obsession with aerodynamics as a result of much less drag can imply extra vary. And Ford does have a brand new electrical pickup in improvement. Codenamed T3, it is scheduled to debut in 2025 as Ford’s first pickup designed from the beginning as an EV.
Many concepts patented by automakers by no means make it to manufacturing, however the T3 is at the very least a believable use case for this reconfigurable tonneau cowl.
