Powered 40 qt Frunk Cooler and 12 gal Water Tank w/ washdown sprayer concept (by @BoxGods)

[jjswan33]

Rivian owners have already been running electric coolers without issue:

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/vehicle-fridge-temperature-impact-in-frunk.5074/

I like your idea but you keep on pointing to one report that says everything is good. Frankly in my experience that is not the case. Most days it will be fine but on a hot day with the truck stationary it will be a problem.

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[rosspa2]

Rivian owners have already been running electric coolers without issue:

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/vehicle-fridge-temperature-impact-in-frunk.5074/

Completely understand, this was more a general observation of the heat you get in the frunk and a mitigation for it not a requirement for the fridge to go in there.

 

[BoxGods]

EV's tend to appeal to tech-savvy people. What is $20K for you may be just a few hours of freetime for some of your customers. If you stick in a well documented chip like an esp32 and share basic details about the interface, there is a pretty good chance that a customer would jump in and build firmware and apps for fun.

I don't dispute any of that--as mentioned I love tech. I also considered including WIFI/BT capability as an unsupported open source option for people to tinker with.

I still believe that this would fall squarely into the cool but essentially worthless tech category. As my wife pointed out, (with an eye roll I'm pretty sure I could hear) "It's a refrigerator--an appliance. How often does anyone change the temperature setting in their home refrigerator or the freezer in the garage?".

Again, I am not disagreeing with you about EV people being tech savvy or any of that, and as long as it can be made abundantly clear it is not a supported/advertised feature I am not opposed to adding in the capability.

Anyone with experience with board mounted WIFI/BT modules that want's to recommend one with good reliability and very low power draw please feel free to reach out.

 

[BoxGods]

I like your idea but you keep on pointing to one report that says everything is good. Frankly in my experience that is not the case. Most days it will be fine but on a hot day with the truck stationary it will be a problem.

If it's an overly hot day--over 90 F--and you're stationary at your campsite you can crack the frunk open a few inches and let hot air rise out. You are going to have to open the frunk anyway to get into the cooler.

I linked to that specific poster because he took the time to field test AND collect empirical real world data points. There other posts with plenty of anecdotal use cases.

I will also point out again that the frunk itself is not insulated while the cooler is an airtight super insulated box and the central section that encloses the equipment is aluminum for improved heat dissipation--in addition to dual fans. My larger point being this design (as compared to that post) has been optimized for operation in the frunk.

 

[sub]

I don't dispute any of that--as mentioned I love tech. I also considered including WIFI/BT capability as an unsupported open source option for people to tinker with.

I still believe that this would fall squarely into the cool but essentially worthless tech category. As my wife pointed out, (with an eye roll I'm pretty sure I could hear) "It's a refrigerator--an appliance. How often does anyone change the temperature setting in their home refrigerator or the freezer in the garage?".

Again, I am not disagreeing with you about EV people being tech savvy or any of that, and as long as it can be made abundantly clear it is not a supported/advertised feature I am not opposed to adding in the capability.

Anyone with experience with board mounted WIFI/BT modules that want's to recommend one with good reliability and very low power draw please feel free to reach out.

I think the easiest and cheapest thing would be to just include 2 parallel 19 pin 0.1" headers on your PCB. People who are interested can buy their own ESP 32 dev board and plug it into the headers.

Supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, firmware can be uploaded via the included USB connector, and is it is very easy to program.

https://docs.espressif.com/projects...2/hw-reference/esp32/get-started-devkitc.html

 

[BoxGods]

I think the easiest and cheapest thing would be to just include 2 parallel 19 pin 0.1" headers on your PCB. People who are interested can buy their own ESP 32 dev board and plug it into the headers.

Supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, firmware can be uploaded via the included USB connector, and is it is very easy to program.

https://docs.espressif.com/projects...2/hw-reference/esp32/get-started-devkitc.html

I really like the sound of that. If we end up with enough interest to move into production would you be available to discuss space requirements, orientation, accessibility etc.?

 

[jjswan33]

If it's an overly hot day--over 90 F--and you're stationary at your campsite you can crack the frunk open a few inches and let hot air rise out. You are going to have to open the frunk anyway to get into the cooler.

I linked to that specific poster because he took the time to field test AND collect empirical real world data points. There other posts with plenty of anecdotal use cases.

I will also point out again that the frunk itself is not insulated while the cooler is an airtight super insulated box and the central section that encloses the equipment is aluminum for improved heat dissipation--in addition to dual fans. My larger point being this design (as compared to that post) has been optimized for operation in the frunk.

You know, I agree that it isn't some gross physics problem that is intractable, and yes I have a PhD in experimental physics. 90% of the time a powered cooler in the front trunk will be fine, not ideal in terms of efficiency but fine. Especially at a camp site where it can be ventilated or while on the road where some air is circulating around frunk tub.

The good example of a problem is the one I stated earlier in this thread. I left my powered cooler in the frunk on a warm (not hot) day while on a hike. I left the cooler plugged into a 250Wh battery and when I came back ~4 hours later it was down to ~15% SOC. That means it was using something like 40W consistent for the whole time, so the compressor never turned off.

 

[VSG]

I subscribed to this forum just to say I'm all in on both the cooler and water tank if you ever make them.

Would it be possible to have an optional set of positioning cleats to mate with the ribbing on the truck bed, to keep the cooler from sliding around if we ever want to put it back there?

 

[BoxGods]

You know, I agree that it isn't some gross physics problem that is intractable, and yes I have a PhD in experimental physics. 90% of the time a powered cooler in the front trunk will be fine, not ideal in terms of efficiency but fine. Especially at a camp site where it can be ventilated or while on the road where some air is circulating around frunk tub.

The good example of a problem is the one I stated earlier in this thread. I left my powered cooler in the frunk on a warm (not hot) day while on a hike. I left the cooler plugged into a 250Wh battery and when I came back ~4 hours later it was down to ~15% SOC. That means it was using something like 40W consistent for the whole time, so the compressor never turned off.

I would be curious as to why. I live in South Texas where we have two seasons; Summer and the other Summer, so I am used to high temperatures. In my experience, if the cooler is of good quality with an airtight seal, at least 25mm of polyurethane poured in place foam insulation, and a thermostat in good working order, even in semi direct sunlight the compressor will only cycle about 10 out of every 60 minutes.

It could be the thermostat is not functioning correctly, or the refrigeration loop is not fully topped off. One other potential issue is if the cooler was tipped over on it's side prior to use and then not allowed to rest upright long enough before it was turned on the first time. We have always ised the rule of thumb one hour of rest for every hour it was on it's side, up to 24 hours.

 

[sub]

I really like the sound of that. If we end up with enough interest to move into production would you be available to discuss space requirements, orientation, accessibility etc.?

Sure

 

[BoxGods]

I subscribed to this forum just to say I'm all in on both the cooler and water tank if you ever make them.

Would it be possible to have an optional set of positioning cleats to mate with the ribbing on the truck bed, to keep the cooler from sliding around if we ever want to put it back there?

What a great idea!

Yes it should be possible and if it is I will. Also, the machined aluminum handles have pass-thru holes for 1/4" (6mm) rope for for superior tie-down and transport capabilities. Image below.

 

[sub]

You know, I agree that it isn't some gross physics problem that is intractable, and yes I have a PhD in experimental physics. 90% of the time a powered cooler in the front trunk will be fine, not ideal in terms of efficiency but fine. Especially at a camp site where it can be ventilated or while on the road where some air is circulating around frunk tub.

The good example of a problem is the one I stated earlier in this thread. I left my powered cooler in the frunk on a warm (not hot) day while on a hike. I left the cooler plugged into a 250Wh battery and when I came back ~4 hours later it was down to ~15% SOC. That means it was using something like 40W consistent for the whole time, so the compressor never turned off.

Could include an option to use some of the 12 gallon water reservoir as a tool to dump excess heat. Spray a bit of water on condenser and let hot water drip out the frunk drain.

 

[SwaziCAR]

Interested. Of course, I don't have a truck yet.

 

[canuck870]

A properly sized compressor and condenser will be able to keep the contents cool -- the only challenge will be the excess heat in the frunk for other items that are stored there. I can't imagine it getting hot enough to damage the frunk. As the inside temp gets hotter, the heat transfer rate will increase and eventually reach equilibrium. The main risk is that the compressor is not sized properly and burns out -- easily solved by sizing it appropriately. I would guess that any electric coolers that have burned out in the frunk were cheap ones that ran continuously and could overheated.

 

[canuck870]

@BoxGods - I ran a successful Kickstarter[1] a number of years ago. They take 5% on top of the CC fees. I think the 5% is fair and ensures you actually get all the pledged money so you are not trying to collect after making a large investment. Happy to share my experience if you are interested.

Also -- I'd be interested in the cooler with no electronics. Not sure if that works in your current layout -- but would allow you to have a lower price point and appeal to a broader market and provide more manufacturing volume for the container.

[1]

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