Hyundai: Patent for sliding tailgate | Car engine and sports

Cars with hatchbacks or hatchbacks usually have a tailgate that hangs on hinges, or rear doors that are attached accordingly. Regardless of whether they are attached to the top of the ceiling or to the side of the columns – these doors need room to swing when opened. Space is not available in all car parks.

Hyundai engineers thought about what the replacement might look like. The result was a sliding door. Well, not really a great idea, because these space-saving hatches are already known by vans and tankers in droves. But here they are installed only on the sides. The Koreans also want to make the sliding technology compatible with the tailgate and thus turn the “flap” into a “sliding”.

Sliding instead of folding

The patent, now published in the US, shows a tailgate that slides over the car’s roof over a special rail system. No additional space is required behind the car. And if the vehicle is not very high, then there are also no problems with it in garages. In detailed consideration, the patent lists the various kinematic variants of sliding doors – depending on the angle of opening that the sliding tailgate must achieve. In any case, the tailgate is first raised from its original position in order to reach a sufficient height to be able to slide over the roof of the vehicle. In order to be able to offer a high level of operating comfort, the opening and closing are carried out by electric servomotors.

Condition height problem

It looks fun and convenient, but it also has drawbacks. Although the traditional tailgate needs more space in the back, it still allows access to nearly the entire trunk even when not fully open. If the car is under a roof, the opening angle of the tailgate can be adjusted in many modern cars. On the other hand, if the sliding liftgate cannot be fully opened due to insufficient height, access to the loading compartment will be restricted. The potential roof load also prevents the tailgate from opening.

Conclusion

Hyundai has patented a sliding door system for the tailgate in the USA. Such a design will facilitate the opening of the tailgate even in the case when there is a small space behind the car. Powered by electricity, it also increases comfort. However, if the space above the vehicle is limited, the feature quickly becomes a disadvantage if the sliding door cannot be opened fully.