An after-market frunk for the Kona? You read that right!

robxb

robxb

Active Member
Check it out! Now if you want to put extra stuff in the trunk, or even a real spare tire, you can put some things and your charger up front :).



There are a few variations on this, including this one https://www.speakev.com/threads/kona-gets-a-frunk.127544/, so check them out if you're interested.

If you're thinking this is dangerous, keep in mind the front of an EV won't get hot like an ICE car, and this is basically the same setup that Tesla has in it's dual-motor cars.

PS. Keep in mind it's not weatherproof, so if you do end up putting cables up front, it would probably be best to put them in a waterproof bag of some sort so they don't get wet from water splashing up in the rain.
 
That is interesting indeed. I might still be concerned about heat dissipation. We don't know for sure how the engineers designed the airflow under the hood, if/or/and how important that is. I will leave it to others to test out, and let us know how it works, before trying it myself.

As for the rear, yes, really opens it up to more storage. I would start, though, by adding sound deadening liner on all the exposed metal areas. Our Kona's are noisy enough, and would not want to make it worse. I can see, though, where the new frunk container might help in that respect.

But again, very interesting, and nice find with that thread.
 
I've seen that one before and while it looks good, there is no lid to keep out the elements. My intention is to design my own with a weatherproof lid at some point this winter. The only problem being I have lots of ideas of things to design, and only so much time!
 
Bugblndr said:
I've seen that one before and while it looks good, there is no lid to keep out the elements. My intention is to design my own with a weatherproof lid at some point this winter. The only problem being I have lots of ideas of things to design, and only so much time!
Click to expand...
DO let us know if you make something! Would be cool to see what you come up with
 
R P said:
That is interesting indeed. I might still be concerned about heat dissipation. We don't know for sure how the engineers designed the airflow under the hood, if/or/and how important that is. I will leave it to others to test out, and let us know how it works, before trying it myself.

As for the rear, yes, really opens it up to more storage. I would start, though, by adding sound deadening liner on all the exposed metal areas. Our Kona's are noisy enough, and would not want to make it worse. I can see, though, where the new frunk container might help in that respect.

But again, very interesting, and nice find with that thread.
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The OBC is the box underneath, and this is liquid cooled, so doesn't get particularly warm.
I notice they have added aftermarket gas struts as well, which you;d certainly want to do if using the Frunk regularly
 
Unfortunately that aftermarket Kona EV frunk's designer's in Europe,shipping issue :( I have a waterproof roof storage duffel I would stick in it to protect things that can't handle wet.It's a perfect location to store smelly take out food!As an unsophisticated hack. I may just use my soft body,tote cooler bag,and place it on top of the plastic cover,hooking the handles onto it,or using a bungee to tie onto the frame? Not comfortable with using the foam hack,airflow,too tight? Hyundai could've easily added an insert to cover that whole "engine" area,better protecting the electric components at the same time.
 
There have been a few other attempts at a frunk seen on other forums, the best from Germany as this appears to be. This was the first mod I would have liked to carry out a year ago. I had measured out the four pins and tried to come up with something creative and practical to design / fabricate but in the end determined it would not be cheap to do a really professional job, probably using CAD designed folded sheet aluminium. What concerns me now is if there were any warranty issues, given the propensity of both car importers and insurance companies to find equally creative ways to refuse a claim. But from a technical perspective, I see no cooling issues as long as the cargo does not end up in the cooling fan.
The best outcome by far is if Hyundai would sell us a frunk as an accessory.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that the entire block of motor, power electronics,
and charger can move a little, i.e. it's all slung in the "engine mounts".
I looked at that space too, and figured a frunk structure might want
to mount strictly to the body metal and hover well clear of the OBC...

_H*
 
Looks pretty ingenious to me! Just adding an aftermarket component does not automatically release the manufacturer from warranty obligations - at least not in the United States. There has to be a showing of causality between the added part and the defective part, otherwise the warranty remains intact.
Since there is very little heat created under the hood, a purpose-made or modified storage tray is a practical addition that frees up a lot of storage space below the rear deck lid.
With the deck lid removed, the trunk can easily hold twice as many bags or more of groceries.
 
it would be amazing if someone had a 3D scanner and could scan the entire under-hood area. I would like to create a full vacuum-molded frunk which included cover and cut-out for everything under the hood. There's no reason something like that shouldn't/doesn't exist. When you take the plastic molding out of a Tesla frunk - it looks just like the Kona with reservoirs, pipes, batteries etc. everywhere. They just covered it and make it look nice!
Whoever makes this and sells it will have a decent business on their hands. I'd happily pay $500 + for a water-tight front trunk that covers all the garbage under the hood!
 
Brennan Raposo said:
it would be amazing if someone had a 3D scanner and could scan the entire under-hood area. I would like to create a full vacuum-molded frunk which included cover and cut-out for everything under the hood. There's no reason something like that shouldn't/doesn't exist. When you take the plastic molding out of a Tesla frunk - it looks just like the Kona with reservoirs, pipes, batteries etc. everywhere. They just covered it and make it look nice!
Whoever makes this and sells it will have a decent business on their hands. I'd happily pay $500 + for a water-tight front trunk that covers all the garbage under the hood!
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Not worth $500, about $250 CAD/USD is fair :p The cover would keep the electric components cleaner, safer. Hyundai specifically writes in their owners manual there cannot be any alterations,etc. to the "engine" area.
 
ehatch said:
Not worth $500, about $250 CAD/USD is fair :p The cover would keep the electric components cleaner, safer. Hyundai specifically writes in their owners manual there cannot be any alterations,etc. to the "engine" area.
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That guy in Germany is charging 250 euros and it's essentially just a couple of Tupperware bins bolted together. My solution would require a full 3D scan of the engine compartment, throw it into CAD and find a place that'll vacuum mold it with a thicker plastic/ABS material. You'd then need those plastic automotive clips and some weather stripping. It's a lot of work for $250 lol But hey, if someone has access to all of the above - my offer of $500 CAD still stands! :D
 
ehatch said:
Not worth $500, about $250 CAD/USD is fair :p The cover would keep the electric components cleaner, safer. Hyundai specifically writes in their owners manual there cannot be any alterations,etc. to the "engine" area.
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You'll never see anything like that for $250 CAD. The market is way to small for someone to be able to design and sell something at that price point IMO.

As for all this talk about warranty, the only thing I can find in the Canadian Hyundai manual about this states:

Your vehicle should not be modified
in any way. Such modifications may
adversely affect the performance,
safety or durability of your vehicle
and may, in addition, violate conditions
of the limited warranties covering
the vehicle.

This is a standard auto manufacturers notice. It doesn't supercede your local consumer protection laws. I wouldn't be too worried myself if I remove their plastic part and put my own in it's place. I wouldn't expect them to cover any damage my plastic part causes of course.

Anything I come up with won't cover the entire engine bay, I need regular access to the 12V battery.
 
I think a plastic frunk would be profitable product even with the investment of $20k+ in a mold. But, I think Hyundai don't want their customers to frequently access the underhood area due to the exposed hardware ... the area would need to be entirely covered like the i3 or Tesla. You would think they would have done something more sensible with this space during design rather than provide completely useless plastic covers for the OBC and heat pump valves, but that is the kind of company they are.
 
You never know, there is a chance of this getting done when the Kona EV goes on sale in China.

Otherwise it would be a fairly easy thing to make out of fiberglass or carbon fiber. The mounts could be done with grommets.

Either way, the bucket in the center combined with a set of gas lifts would make the space quite useful.
 
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