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Powered 40 qt Frunk Cooler and 12 gal Water Tank w/washdown sprayer

29K views 166 replies 89 participants last post by  Jaron Pham 
#1 ·
About 4 months ago my buddy Jeff, (Feb 2019 R1S LE Order) showed me a post over at rivianownersforum.com from Danny C who had fit a small 12V DC electric cooler in his R1T frunk. Jeff is an avid camper and was a bit bummed out about the unusual dimensions of the R1 precluding any good sized electric coolers—in the 40 quart size range.
He asked me how hard it would be to design and manufacture a lower profile 40 quart 12V DC cooler specifically for the R1 platform—which is not as odd a question as it seems because I have 20+ years experience as a product design and manufacturing engineer, including roto-molding. IOW it's my day job.

We got to talking about his coolers for camping, the Dometic style in overlanding, and if it would even be possible for the frunk to use such a unit with more volume than current retail units offer.

We bounced ideas and concepts around for about 4 months, worked with the great Sue Smith from Munro & Associates for engineering assets, and DuckTruck let us poke around his R1T to take hundreds of photos.

The design brief ended up being a clean-sheet 40 quart powered refrigerator/freezer to specifically fit in, and work with, the R1 platform: highly robust, field repairable, functional, and likely to outlast the Rivian itself.

While working on the cooler design and where it would live in the frunk, we came up with the addition of a 12 gallon, (45 liter) potable water tank to sit in the lower well of the frunk: DC powered pump, solid state fill limit switch, baffled interior, wash-down sprayer, and sturdy enough to replace the stock frunk folding deck.

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We are aware that Rivian stopped adding the 12V DC plug in the frunk at around VIN 12.000

That means the customer base with the plug is about 12,000 trucks already delivered. On the (possibly) plus side this post shows that Rivian left the wiring and only removed the plug:

https://www.rivianownersforum.com/f...none-in-frunk-for-r1t.8716/page-6#post-214058

It is looking like adding the plug back is not all that difficult or expensive. If there is sufficient interest from owners with VIN's after 12,000 we can put together a small kit with the plug and any connectors needed, as well as a how to video.

Also, for those unsure about running an electric cooler in the frunk, several owners have already been running them without issue. Some even took the time to record actual in use temperature data and share it here:

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

We will be putting up a private forum in the next week or so for anyone who wants to reserve--the hope being we can get 200 - 300 people wanting the cooler, the water tank, or both and move ahead with production.

Pricing is not final but the cooler is looking like $550 - $600 and the water tank with pump, electronic fill sensor, and sprayer will be in the $150 - $200 range.

Until then I am happy to answer any questions in here.
 
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#4 ·
Thanks for the kind words, and for joining in on the "whimsy". =)

Now, for the bonus round, can you work the name of the water tank in as well? =)

The lid is held with rare earth N52 permanent magnets--see below. Dealing with the rubber straps that always seem to flop over right as you are closing the cooler--normally with your hands full--is pretty irritating. Plus magnets are just cool =)

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#6 ·
Thanks =)

The goal is to have a private forum up next week so we can see if there are enough people interested to move ahead. I will post a link in here when it is live.

We need to get to about 200 people for the economics to work--we are at about 50 as of 10/7--so it would help a lot to get the word out if you guys can share with friends on social media.
.
 
#12 ·
Put me on your "interested" and list. Suggestion: baskets for the fridge are very handy. Pack in kitchen and just carry down to truck. Most car coolers have them, so there might be some that fit your dimensions. Like this...
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I am also a big fan of baskets--The Container Store is one of my "happy places" =) but because of the unique shape of the frunk, specifically how shallow it is, I am not sure baskets make as much sense in this case. Especially as it is a true two compartment design.

Baskets that use the full height might be useful, but the type that ride on a shelf inside the cooler and split the space vertically...not so much.

Rectangle Automotive lighting Automotive exterior Gas Font
 
#10 ·
About 4 months ago my buddy Jeff, (Feb 2019 R1S LE Order) showed me a post over at rivianownersforum.com from Danny C who had fit a small 12V DC electric cooler in his R1T frunk. Jeff is an avid camper and was a bit bummed out about the unusual dimensions of the R1 precluding any good sized electric coolers—in the 40 quart size range.
He asked me how hard it would be to design and manufacture a lower profile 40 quart 12V DC cooler specifically for the R1 platform—which is not as odd a question as it seems because I have 20+ years experience as a product design and manufacturing engineer, including roto-molding. IOW it's my day job.

We got to talking about his coolers for camping, the Dometic style in overlanding, and if it would even be possible for the frunk to use such a unit with more volume than current retail units offer.

We bounced ideas and concepts around for about 4 months, worked with the great Sue Smith from Munro & Associates for engineering assets, and DuckTruck let us poke around his R1T to take hundreds of photos.

The design brief ended up being a clean-sheet 40 quart powered refrigerator/freezer to specifically fit in, and work with, the R1 platform: highly robust, field repairable, functional, and likely to outlast the Rivian itself.

While working on the cooler design and where it would live in the frunk, we came up with the addition of a 12 gallon, (45 liter) potable water tank to sit in the lower well of the frunk: DC powered pump, solid state fill limit switch, baffled interior, wash-down sprayer, and sturdy enough to replace the stock frunk folding deck.

View attachment 8335

View attachment 8336

View attachment 8337

View attachment 8338

View attachment 8339

View attachment 8340

View attachment 8341

View attachment 8342

View attachment 8343

View attachment 8344

We are aware that Rivian stopped adding the 12V DC plug in the frunk at around VIN 12.000

That means the customer base with the plug is about 12,000 trucks already delivered. On the (possibly) plus side this post shows that Rivian left the wiring and only removed the plug:

https://www.rivianownersforum.com/f...none-in-frunk-for-r1t.8716/page-6#post-214058

It is looking like adding the plug back is not all that difficult or expensive. If there is sufficient interest from owners with VIN's after 12,000 we can put together a small kit with the plug and any connectors needed, as well as a how to video.

Also, for those unsure about running an electric cooler in the frunk, several owners have already been running them without issue. Some even took the time to record actual in use temperature data and share it here:

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

We will be putting up a private forum in the next week or so for anyone who wants to reserve--the hope being we can get 200 - 300 people wanting the cooler, the water tank, or both and move ahead with production.

Pricing is not final but the cooler is looking like $550 - $600 and the water tank with pump, electronic fill sensor, and sprayer will be in the $150 - $200 range.

Until then I am happy to answer any questions in here.

Can you count me in as interested/willing for the fridge?
 
#15 ·
About 4 months ago my buddy Jeff, (Feb 2019 R1S LE Order) showed me a post over at rivianownersforum.com from Danny C who had fit a small 12V DC electric cooler in his R1T frunk. Jeff is an avid camper and was a bit bummed out about the unusual dimensions of the R1 precluding any good sized electric coolers—in the 40 quart size range.
He asked me how hard it would be to design and manufacture a lower profile 40 quart 12V DC cooler specifically for the R1 platform—which is not as odd a question as it seems because I have 20+ years experience as a product design and manufacturing engineer, including roto-molding. IOW it's my day job.

We got to talking about his coolers for camping, the Dometic style in overlanding, and if it would even be possible for the frunk to use such a unit with more volume than current retail units offer.

We bounced ideas and concepts around for about 4 months, worked with the great Sue Smith from Munro & Associates for engineering assets, and DuckTruck let us poke around his R1T to take hundreds of photos.

The design brief ended up being a clean-sheet 40 quart powered refrigerator/freezer to specifically fit in, and work with, the R1 platform: highly robust, field repairable, functional, and likely to outlast the Rivian itself.

While working on the cooler design and where it would live in the frunk, we came up with the addition of a 12 gallon, (45 liter) potable water tank to sit in the lower well of the frunk: DC powered pump, solid state fill limit switch, baffled interior, wash-down sprayer, and sturdy enough to replace the stock frunk folding deck.

View attachment 8335

View attachment 8336

View attachment 8337

View attachment 8338

View attachment 8339

View attachment 8340

View attachment 8341

View attachment 8342

View attachment 8343

View attachment 8344

We are aware that Rivian stopped adding the 12V DC plug in the frunk at around VIN 12.000

That means the customer base with the plug is about 12,000 trucks already delivered. On the (possibly) plus side this post shows that Rivian left the wiring and only removed the plug:

https://www.rivianownersforum.com/f...none-in-frunk-for-r1t.8716/page-6#post-214058

It is looking like adding the plug back is not all that difficult or expensive. If there is sufficient interest from owners with VIN's after 12,000 we can put together a small kit with the plug and any connectors needed, as well as a how to video.

Also, for those unsure about running an electric cooler in the frunk, several owners have already been running them without issue. Some even took the time to record actual in use temperature data and share it here:

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

We will be putting up a private forum in the next week or so for anyone who wants to reserve--the hope being we can get 200 - 300 people wanting the cooler, the water tank, or both and move ahead with production.

Pricing is not final but the cooler is looking like $550 - $600 and the water tank with pump, electronic fill sensor, and sprayer will be in the $150 - $200 range.

Until then I am happy to answer any questions in here.
 
#17 ·
I'm 100% in on the tank...the space it takes up is just such an odd shape, this is a fantastic way to make use of every cubic inch of that strange volume.

I'd likely be interested in the cooler too. I currently have a CFX3 in the bed of my truck, preventing the tonneau from being able to close and so I keep a lot of gear in my frunk since it's secure, but being able to move the cooler system to the frunk would free up the tonneau cover, making all of that space secure storage once again....

I am curious though, in regards to the tank, has there been any discussion on possibilities of heating the water? Either some sort of immersion heater, or how one might connect something like a camplux 2.5gal 1500W water heater at the discharge of the pump?
 
#21 ·
I'm 100% in on the tank...the space it takes up is just such an odd shape, this is a fantastic way to make use of every cubic inch of that strange volume.

I'd likely be interested in the cooler too. I currently have a CFX3 in the bed of my truck, preventing the tonneau from being able to close and so I keep a lot of gear in my frunk since it's secure, but being able to move the cooler system to the frunk would free up the tonneau cover, making all of that space secure storage once again....

I am curious though, in regards to the tank, has there been any discussion on possibilities of heating the water? Either some sort of immersion heater, or how one might connect something like a camplux 2.5gal 1500W water heater at the discharge of the pump?
Several people have already asked about heating the water and also keeping it from freezing in cold weather camping scenarios. That discussion has already looked at a few options and once we get the private forum up next week for people interested in reserving I hope to have a dedicated thread on the subject.

The short answer tho us that the two access / hatch plates are machined from 10mm thick PVC and are easily user replaceable--think of them as convenient, inexpensive modular connection locations for future add-ons or accessories. An example would be a switched pass-thru access plate for several feet of silicone "heater rope" with a user settable thermostat.
 
#22 · (Edited)
We have hit a small snag getting word about this project out on social media--specifically the Rivian SubReddit. I have never used Reddit, (and to be candid know almost nothing about it) so I asked my adult Son to make a Reddit post similar to the original post on this forum, which he did.

The administrators for that subreddit told him that because he has not been active in that community and the post mentions a product, he would need to spend some time being more active before he could post it. He is not a reservation holder and doesn't intend to be so there isn't really anything useful he could post about that adds any value to the discussions there, and I am just not comfortable having him "spamming" people with useless posts.

It would be a big help in getting the word out about what we are trying to do if somebody from here at Rivian Owners Forum that is also active in the Rivian subreddit could make the post. I can provide you with the text and pictures and answer any questions you have.

Any help with this, or advice on the best way to go about it would be greatly appreciated. Frankly it is a little embarrassing that I can literally design and build an airplane or boat but know next to nothing about social media. I have spent 4 months and several thousand dollars on this project so far and would hate to see it unravel because I am not on Reddit
Between the three forums I have posted on we have about 75 people who have expressed interest in reserving. We need about 150 - 200 for the economics to work out, so if there is any way you can help get the word out it would be a huge help.
 
#27 · (Edited)
We have hit a small snag getting word about this project out on social media--specifically the Rivian SubReddit. I have never used Reddit, (and to be candid know almost nothing about it) so I asked my adult Son to make a Reddit post similar to the original post on this forum, which he did.

The administrators for that subreddit told him that because he has not been active in that community and the post mentions a product, he would need to spend some time being more active before he could post it. He is not a reservation holder and doesn't intend to be so there isn't really anything useful he could post about that adds any value to the discussions there, and I am just not comfortable having him "spamming" people with useless posts.

It would be a big help in getting the word out about what we are trying to do if somebody from here at Rivian Owners Forum that is also active in the Rivian subreddit could make the post. I can provide you with the text and pictures and answer any questions you have.

Any help with this, or advice on the best way to go about it would be greatly appreciated. Frankly it is a little embarrassing that I can literally design and build an airplane or boat but know next to nothing about social media. I have spent 4 months and several thousand dollars on this project so far and would hate to see it unravel because I am not on Reddit
Between the three forums I have posted on we have about 75 people who have expressed interest in reserving. We need about 150 - 200 for the economics to work out, so if there is any way you can help get the word out it would be a huge help.

Cross-posted on Reddit.



Hopefully that'll direct some folks to this thread.
 
#36 ·
Although there is nothing wrong with TEC style coolers they are not a great choice for this application IMO as it is the difference between a "cooler" and a refrigerator. Also, the Rivian has a huge battery but it is of course not an "endless" power source so any gains in efficiency matter. TEC's are only about 25% of the efficiency of vapor compression cycle systems. Also, TEC's typically can only get you about 20 degrees below your ambient--thus my calling them a cooler rather than a refrigerator or freezer.

I am likely going to program the lowest setting possible at 0F (-18C) and the highest allowable at 40F (4C). Average power consumption over 24 hours is going to vary of course depending on your ambient temperature, what temperature you have each compartment set at, the temperature and quantity of items inside each compartment, etc. but maximum power draw with everything going including the compressor, two fans in the refrigeration compartment, and two fans inside the cooler compartments is under 75 watts. As a reference, your typical taper style candle outputs 80 watts of heat.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Wow... love the creative ideas and appreciate the time and effort in trying to create something that can benefit all of us! I'm interested for my future R1S. Can you explain the water tank feature a bit more? How would I access the water and fill if the cooler is in there?
 
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