Ford’s Large Gull Wing Door Invention Could Actually Be Useful

Car companies are often inventing future tech that may or may not be practical for production vehicles. Sometimes, they are outright the stuff of fantasies.

It seems like the good folks over at Ford’s R&D centre have been busy churning out inventions and the latest patent filing for a “side door of a vehicle” is essentially a very large gullwing door  that spans the width of the vehicle. While it might seem made for a dramatic entry/exit, having a larger entryway does offer certain conveniences and easier access, say, to the third row seats, for loading large cargo or for passengers with disabilities to move in and out of the vehicle.

There are some other considerations before this type of gullwing doors can make it into production vehicles. For one, it is going to be expensive. A powerful hydraulic system is needed to lift such a heavy door and the space for such a system has to be allocated for. Secondly, the structural integrity of the vehicle chassis with such a large “gap” is surely compromised and needs reengineering. And being able to only enter the vehicle from one side is surely an inconvenience and even a safety issue for curbside passenger pick-ups.

So, while this feature might make it into models with a limited run, the rest will just have to make do with a sliding door ala minivan style.