Are Ram’s dual-purpose tailgates still on the way?

Well over a year ago, Allpar discovered patents for a split tailgate that could either open traditionally (in one or two segments), or swing open. The idea would give owners more flexibility in loading their truck beds, and provide a 2/3 split if they needed to carry a long, thin object (like a pole or lumber) without leaving the rest of the bed open.

KGP Photography saw a Ram 1500 with a split tailgate back in November 2018, lending support to the idea.

The patent application shows that it would provide eight possible configurations (e.g. one end swung to the side, the other swung down).  The patent drawings show two setups:

Some sheet metal that overlaps the center gap, so the split might be closer to 50/50; but a pure 50/50 split would make the handle/lock rather tricky, so that’s unlikely.  See the full 2019 Ram 1500 page.