Raisable vault lid for bigger volume cargo

[Kriber01]

How about having a vault lid you could raise, to be able to transport higher cargo without it getting wet. Could use waterproof canvas or collapsable panels on the sides, and the ramp to seal it from behind. Solar side panels could be great for the solar panels package, just raise and fold out.

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[Kriber01]

If anyone more talented than me would make a sketch I would appreciate it ?

 

[BillyGee]

It's got a pickup bed. Just roll up the tonneau cover and put whatever you want back there.

 

[Kriber01]

It's got a pickup bed. Just roll up the tonneau cover and put whatever you want back there.

I would like to have it built in as standard, don't really need to much laying around when I don't use it. The tonneau would be hinged in the front and be used as roof. It won't be that much different from the original design, and completely hidden when not in use.

 

[BillyGee]

I still don't understand why you'd need or want this. It just adds another join which can fail and would add more points that water can get into your bed when the cover is down.

Why can't you just use a tent tarp?

 

[Kriber01]

There should not be any more entry points for water then there is now, you wouldn't even notice if you didn't know about it.

 

[Blue Steel]

This seems like a lot of engineering for something rarely (if ever) needed.

You would need to have both bed rails raise to EXACTLY the same height or the cover would get jammed. And you would need a very sturdy support for the rails. Probably a few hydraulics for each side. Then some sort of material for the sides. Like the material used for a convertible top.?‍

And since the vault starts half way down the back slope it would look like crap. A little like the vents on the back of Doc Brown’s time machine.

 

[Kriber01]

Engineering that isn't that hard, and if it's getting that ugly you're doing it wrong. If you don't want it that's fine, I sure would.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

How about having a vault lid you could raise, to be able to transport higher cargo without it getting wet. Could use waterproof canvas or collapsable panels on the sides, and the ramp to seal it from behind. Solar side panels could be great for the solar panels package, just raise and fold out.

The cover is on a rail and is motorized, so your idea would require a raised rail of some kind, which would change the design so dramatically that it will never happen. Trucks that have a cover that sits on ‘top’ of the bed can have something like what you are talking about, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an aftermarket cover that does what you want; just leave the tonneau retracted. It would be like a camper in some ways, and it could even be powered since there is power. I just wouldn’t expect it to be a part of the vehicle design.

 

[Kriber01]

The cover is on a rail and is motorized, so your idea would require a raised rail of some kind, which would change the design so dramatically that it will never happen. Trucks that have a cover that sits on ‘top’ of the bed can have something like what you are talking about, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an aftermarket cover that does what you want; just leave the tonneau retracted. It would be like a camper in some ways, and it could even be powered since there is power. I just wouldn’t expect it to be a part of the vehicle design.

Yeah I don't know where the motor for the tonneau is but having a hinge like function in the bend should be doable. There's about a 105° bend in the rail as is, and making it move between 85 and 105 should be easy, and the top sides seems to be just a cover. Obviously if it can't be done within the design it would be out of the picture, It was only thought of as an positive low cost extra. And also maybe a way to store some extra solar panels.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Why don't you contact Elon Musk by twitter and suggest it? Worst case scenario is that he ignores you or thinks about it in the same light as the camper they have in mind. Best case scenario is he likes your idea. I do not think many on this forum will want it and that is why I suggest the alternative. As I said before, I could definitely see an aftermarket option with its own movable cover. The strongest argument against the idea is that it requires an additional superstructure not already part of the truck, a diverting of the cover into the superstructure, and sensors to detect that it has reached its full extent (thus requiring an electrical connection to the superstructure). Even then the cover, as is, would only go over part of the bed because it is traveling so much higher before turning and now it cannot be a secure cover. As soon as you start talking about an additional superstructure you might as well have it be an accessory and not part of the vehicle.

 

[Kriber01]

Why don't you contact Elon Musk by twitter and suggest it? Worst case scenario is that he ignores you or thinks about it in the same light as the camper they have in mind. Best case scenario is he likes your idea. I do not think many on this forum will want it and that is why I suggest the alternative. As I said before, I could definitely see an aftermarket option with its own movable cover. The strongest argument against the idea is that it requires an additional superstructure not already part of the truck, a diverting of the cover into the superstructure, and sensors to detect that it has reached its full extent (thus requiring an electrical connection to the superstructure). Even then the cover, as is, would only go over part of the bed because it is traveling so much higher before turning and now it cannot be a secure cover. As soon as you start talking about an additional superstructure you might as well have it be an accessory and not part of the vehicle.

I'm a fan of the design as is so I don't think I would buy a aftermarket alternative. Although it would be interesting with a triangular or reshapable bedliner you could take out and mount on top if needed.. Carbon fiber ?