Pickup trucks have never been more central to American driving, yet their boxy shapes still fight the air at highway speeds. A new patent tied to Ram suggests that the next big leap in truck design may not be a wilder grille or taller lift, but a carefully sculpted bed cap that turns a brick into something closer to a bullet. If the idea moves from drawings to driveways, it could quietly reset expectations for how a full-size Pickup should look and how efficiently it should move.
Why Ram and Stellantis are suddenly obsessed with drag
For years, truck makers have chased power and payload while treating aerodynamics as a secondary concern, but rising fuel costs and tougher efficiency targets are forcing a rethink. The open box behind the cab creates a low pressure pocket that sucks air down into the bed, then tumbles it off the tailgate, a recipe for drag that wastes energy at exactly the speeds where owners spend most of their time. The new patent, listed at the USPTO under the designation US-20250388273-A, is a direct response to that problem, and it signals that Ram and its parent company Stellantis now see airflow management as core truck engineering rather than an afterthought.
In the patent, the company describes a design modification that reshapes the air stream over the bed instead of letting it churn inside it, with the explicit goal of reducing this aerodynamic drag at highway speeds. Reporting on the filing notes that the document, titled US-20250388273-A, frames the change as a way to cut resistance without sacrificing the core utility that keeps buyers loyal to full-size trucks. I see that as a telling shift: instead of hiding behind incremental grille shutters or underbody panels, Ram is going after the most stubborn source of drag on a Pickup, the bed itself.
The angled bed cap at the heart of the patent
The centerpiece of the new concept is an angled bed cap that slopes upward from the cab toward the tailgate, creating a wedge that guides air cleanly off the back of the truck. Rather than a flat tonneau that simply covers the cargo area, this cap effectively extends the roofline, smoothing the transition from cab to bed and shrinking the turbulent wake that forms behind a typical pickup. The geometry is simple, but the implications are significant, because it tackles the airflow problem at its source instead of trying to patch it with spoilers or add-ons.
According to detailed descriptions of the filing, Ram has patented an angled bed cap that is specifically intended to make its trucks more aerodynamic, with the design formally recorded at the United States Patent and Tradema office. The language around the cap emphasizes that Ram wants to preserve the open-bed character of its trucks while still reaping the benefits of a more streamlined profile, a balance that helps explain why Ram has patented an angled bed cap rather than a fully enclosed SUV-style shell. In my view, that choice shows a clear understanding of how sensitive truck buyers are to anything that looks like it compromises bed access.
How the mechanism works when you need a real truck bed
A clever aerodynamic cap is useless if it turns a work truck into a showpiece, so the patent spends just as much energy on how the system gets out of the way. The design uses panels that can move between a low, streamlined position and a raised configuration that opens up the bed for tall cargo. When the driver needs full-height space, the panels lift and create a larger opening, while a separate support element near the cab helps maintain structure and airflow control even when the cap is not fully deployed.
Technical descriptions of the system explain that when the panels are called upon, they raise the cover and meet a front support panel that extends from the cab, and together these pieces form the angled surface that manages the air. The same reporting notes that Stellantis designed the bed so that the angled cover can deploy and then retract, allowing more flexibility than a traditional fixed tonneau would ever allow, and that this patent is less about styling theatrics and more about making a Ram, including electrified versions like the Ram 1500 REV (formerly named the RamCharger), slip through the air more efficiently. Those details are laid out in coverage of how these panels raise the cover, and they underline how central usability is to the concept.
Stellantis wants its trucks to play in Tesla’s aerodynamic league
Behind the Ram badge sits Stellantis, and the patent language makes clear that the parent company is thinking about more than one model line. The angled cap is framed as a way to make Stellantis trucks behave more like the most slippery electric pickups on the market, which have used radical shapes to cheat the wind. Instead of copying those silhouettes outright, Stellantis is trying to graft some of the same aerodynamic advantages onto a more traditional truck profile, using the bed cap as a kind of bridge between old-school form and new-school efficiency.
In the patent, Stellantis details how the angled truck bed cap is intended to reduce drag and secure intellectual property rights to the design, explicitly tying the idea to a broader strategy in which aerodynamics are the name of the game for its future pickups. Reporting on the filing notes that Stellantis has already secured approval from the United States Patent and Tradema office for this approach, a sign that the company is serious about defending the concept as it moves toward production. The description of how Stellantis details the angled truck bed cap makes it clear that the group sees this as a competitive tool in a market where Tesla has already proven that unconventional shapes can deliver real range and efficiency gains.
Why pickup aerodynamics are such a stubborn engineering problem
To understand why this patent matters, it helps to look at why pickups are so hard to streamline in the first place. The tall, bluff front end needed for crash performance and engine packaging punches a big hole in the air, and the abrupt drop into an open bed creates a cavity where air swirls instead of flowing. That turbulent zone not only drags on the truck, it can also kick up dust and noise, all of which get worse as speeds climb and as owners bolt on larger tires or lift kits that further disrupt the airflow.
Analyses of the patent context point out that Pickup truck aerodynamics have always been a challenge, with the open bed in particular creating turbulence that increases drag, especially at highway speeds, and that Stellantis is trying to address this by adding a support panel near the cab that works with the angled cover to guide the air. The description of how Pickup truck aerodynamics have always been a challenge underscores why a simple flat tonneau is not enough: it covers the cargo, but it does little to fix the pressure differences that cause drag. I read the new patent as an attempt to finally treat the bed as an active aerodynamic surface rather than a passive box.
Fuel economy, range and the “Chasing Improved Fuel Economy Numbers” push
Every bit of drag a truck sheds translates into less energy burned, whether that energy comes from gasoline, diesel or a battery pack. For internal combustion models, that can mean better fuel economy ratings and lower running costs, while for electric trucks it can unlock more range from the same battery, or allow a smaller pack that saves weight and cost. Automakers are under pressure to deliver both, which is why the patent’s focus on highway drag, where aerodynamic losses dominate, is so strategically important.
Coverage of Ram’s broader strategy frames the angled cap as part of a larger effort that has been described under the banner of Chasing Improved Fuel Economy Numbers, with the company explicitly calling out how Pickup truck beds offer a unique advantage unmatched by other body styles because they can host integrated aerodynamic devices. Reports on how Chasing Improved Fuel Economy Numbers shapes Ram’s thinking note that the brand is exploring smarter ways to make a Pickup more aerodynamic by integrating moving panels and supports into the bed walls themselves. From my perspective, that language shows that Ram is not just chasing a single clever trick, but building a toolkit of airflow solutions that can be tuned for different trims and powertrains.
Everyday usability: from worksite loads to family road trips
For all the engineering ambition, the success of an angled bed cap will come down to how it fits into daily life. Contractors need to haul ladders, appliances and building materials that stick above the rails, while families use their trucks for everything from camping gear to home improvement runs. If the cap is slow to move, fragile or hard to lock, it will be seen as a gimmick rather than a genuine upgrade, no matter how many percentage points of drag it saves in a wind tunnel.
Reports on Ram’s exploration of this concept stress that aerodynamics matter more than ever, but they also highlight that the brand is aiming for more seamless usability by designing the panels and supports to integrate into the bed walls and deploy only when needed. One analysis notes that nevertheless, the concept reflects the same focus on comfort and practicality that Ram has shown in other models, even drawing a parallel to how a comfort-focused trim called Sahara in a different context balances off-road capability with everyday livability. That perspective comes through in coverage of how aerodynamics matter more than ever, and it reinforces my sense that Ram knows any aerodynamic device that gets in the way of loading a dirt bike or a stack of plywood will be a nonstarter.
How it fits alongside the evolving 2026 Ram 1500 lineup
The patent does not name a specific model year, but it lands at a moment when Ram is already refreshing its core full-size truck. The 2026 Ram 1500 brings several updates over the 2025 model, including the return of the powerful HEMI V8, a new plug-in hybrid option and upgraded interior technology, all of which signal that the brand is trying to cover both traditional truck buyers and those looking for more electrified choices. In that context, an aerodynamic bed cap would be a logical next step, a hardware feature that could benefit both the HEMI loyalist towing a boat and the plug-in driver trying to squeeze more electric miles out of a charge.
Dealership-level breakdowns of the changes explain that the 2026 Ram 1500 adds the HEMI V8 back into the mix while also layering in a plug-in hybrid option and more advanced cabin tech compared with the 2025 version, positioning the truck as both a workhorse and a rolling showcase of Stellantis engineering. Those details are spelled out in comparisons of how the 2026 Ram 1500 brings several updates, and they help explain why Ram would be motivated to pair a more efficient body with its evolving powertrain lineup. I see the patent as a signpost that future Ram 1500 variants, whether powered by HEMI, plug-in systems or full battery packs, will lean harder on aerodynamics to stand out in a crowded field.
From patent drawings to parking lots: what comes next
Patents are not product plans, and there is no guarantee that US-20250388273-A will appear exactly as drawn on a showroom truck. Automakers routinely file for protection on ideas that never leave the lab, either because they prove too complex or because customer clinics reject the look or feel. Yet the level of detail in this filing, from the moving panels to the front support structure, suggests that Stellantis has gone beyond a napkin sketch and into serious engineering, which raises the odds that some version of the angled cap will reach production.
Context from multiple analyses of the filing notes that Stellantis has already filed and secured patents for the angled bed cap design, that Ram has formally recorded the angled bed cap at the United States Patent and Tradema office, and that the document at the USPTO under the name US-20250388273-A spells out a clear intent to reduce aerodynamic drag on Pickup trucks without sacrificing their core utility. Those facts, drawn from coverage of how this design modification has the goal of cutting drag, lead me to believe that the company is not just protecting an idea, but preparing a new chapter in how trucks are shaped. If that happens, the familiar silhouette of a Ram in the mirror could change in subtle but important ways, with a sloping cap that signals a future where even the most traditional pickups are quietly working the air to go farther on every gallon or kilowatt-hour.
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