Rivian has filed a patent for a stowable bed and roof rack system for pickup trucks and SUVs. The patent application – spotted by Motor Authority – was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on December 27, 2022, and was published on January 11, 2024, under the name Folding Vehicle Rack system.
How it works is simple: two vertical bars clip into the bedsides (one on each side), and to the tops of these, a hinged horizontal bar is attached, connecting the two sides of the bed. The process is repeated, and between the two new U-shaped structures, another horizontal bar is affixed perpendicularly. Again, one appears on each side of the bed.
With the top vertical bars hinged, all one needs to do when dismantling is to disconnect the cross braces on either side, and each U-shaped rack will fold into itself within its own length.