Does the frunk of your Rivian get hot to the touch? Or is this my first problem.

[Big Bad VooDoo]

I noticed and wondered why the inside of the fronk was so hot, I do live in the desert but it seams a little hotter than I would expect. Is it me be cautious with my first EV or is a legitimate concern?

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[lmr]

I noticed and wondered why the inside of the fronk was so hot, I do live in the desert but it seams a little hotter than I would expect. Is it me be cautious with my first EV or is a legitimate concern?

The cooling radiators for the battery/electronics is in the front space surrounding the frunk, so yes it is pretty normal that that area will get quite warm.

 

[Big Bad VooDoo]

The cooling radiators for the battery/electronics is in the front space surrounding the frunk, so yes it is pretty normal that that area will get quite warm.

Thanks for sharing. Now for my second question, why would you promote use of the fronk as a cooler when its that warm in there? LOL, just laughing to myself.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

And then the cooler would put off even more heat. Makes me wonder if Rivian deep-6’d the drunk 12V to discourage drunk coolers altogether

 

[sherold]

Thanks for sharing. Now for my second question, why would you promote use of the fronk as a cooler when its that warm in there? LOL, just laughing to myself.

I've seen this idea mentioned by a few people. Where is it promoted to use the frunk as a cooler?

 

[DaveA]

I've seen this idea mentioned by a few people. Where is it promoted to use the frunk as a cooler?

Its because it has a drain.

 

[electruck]

Its because it has a drain.

Which youtubers turned into a party feature because melting ice is obviously the only way you could end up with water in the frunk, right? For a while there it seemed like the "let's show how the frunk can be used as a cooler" was the must have segment for youtube EV car reviews because it was more entertaining than something as basic as spilled liquid, accidentally leaving the hood up in a rain storm, or water incursion from driving through deep water too fast.

 

[Trandall]

I can't site the exact communication but Rivian team members were certainly promoting the use of the frunk as a cooler. I have actually used it as such on a few occasions while tailgating and people really get a kick out of it.
Back to the OP's comment yes it gets warm in there because the inverter drive unit is just behind the the frunk and the radiator is just below the front of it. I can imagine in hot climates it would work better as a burrito warmer than a beverage cooler.

 

[Jarico75]

I can't site the exact communication but Rivian team members were certainly promoting the use of the frunk as a cooler. I have actually used it as such on a few occasions while tailgating and people really get a kick out of it.
Back to the OP's comment yes it gets warm in there because the inverter drive unit is just behind the the frunk and the radiator is just below the front of it. I can imagine in hot climates it would work better as a burrito warmer than a beverage cooler.

Maybe the conversation went like this:
Influencer: "Wow cool can I climb into this frunk thingy?"
Rivian Rep: "Sure."
Influencer: "Could this be used as a cooler?"
Rivian Rep: "Sure"
Influencer: "Wow this space for a spare tire is cool. Can this be sued as a cooler?"
Rivian Rep: "Sure"
Influencer: "This truck is amazing."
Rivian Rep: "Yep, we thought of everything."

 

[Trandall]

Maybe the conversation went like this:
Influencer: "Wow cool can I climb into this frunk thingy?"
Rivian Rep: "Sure."
Influencer: "Could this be used as a cooler?"
Rivian Rep: "Sure"
Influencer: "Wow this space for a spare tire is cool. Can this be sued as a cooler?"
Rivian Rep: "Sure"
Influencer: "This truck is amazing."
Rivian Rep: "Yep, we thought of everything."

I get what your saying but it wasn't that. If I'm not mistaken it was Brian Gase that I heard it from but I didn't get that he was making it up it was apparently a purposeful design initiative... and yes the spare compartment was noted as having the same capability.
Also Rivian employees were the first people I saw crawl inside the gear tunnel.
The Rivian Frunk actually works well for a cooler it just goes through more ice than you'd expect. Now I saw someone on the internet had filled a Mach-E frunk with shrimp cocktail... that''s a stretch.

 

[DaveA]

Its encouraged to use it as a cooler so the BMS doesn't have to work so hard during fast charging.

 

[zymolysis]

I get what your saying but it wasn't that. If I'm not mistaken it was Brian Gase that I heard it from but I didn't get that he was making it up it was apparently a purposeful design initiative... and yes the spare compartment was noted as having the same capability.
Also Rivian employees were the first people I saw crawl inside the gear tunnel.
The Rivian Frunk actually works well for a cooler it just goes through more ice than you'd expect. Now I saw someone on the internet had filled a Mach-E frunk with shrimp cocktail... that''s a stretch.

I have, more than once, seen it mentioned that Rivian did not encourage using the frunk as an ice chest. However, it is entirely possible that in some promotion and/or advance publicity that some Rivian employee(s) have promoted that use, or failed to discourage it when someone else mentioned it.

 

[Chewy734]

When I picked up my R1S at delivery ~2 months ago, the advisor suggested it on their own: “you can even use the frunk as a cooler, and it holds a lot of ice!”

 

[Trandall]

From a quick google search I find a Tweet from Rivian's official account stating specifically you can fill the frunk with ice and use it as a cooler. It is a tweet from 3/9/22. I am confident I have seen videos of other Rivian employees also stating it was designed so it could be used as an ice chest to keep things cold. is there something you could point to from Rivian where they contradict this and say it's not recommended? It wouldn't surprise me if they did I'm just not aware of it.
On a side note from Car & Driver:

Mmm... E-Coli anyone?

 

[Big Bad VooDoo]

I can't site the exact communication but Rivian team members were certainly promoting the use of the frunk as a cooler. I have actually used it as such on a few occasions while tailgating and people really get a kick out of it.
Back to the OP's comment yes it gets warm in there because the inverter drive unit is just behind the the frunk and the radiator is just below the front of it. I can imagine in hot climates it would work better as a burrito warmer than a beverage cooler.

That is a great idea, good for Uber Eats to use and keep the food warm as they deliver. Or that pizza that keeps sliding all over the inside of the car.

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