Future Ford EVs Could Use Frunk To Provide Shade

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a frunk with built-in shade that could be used in future Ford EVs, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on August 22^nd, 2022, published on December 7^th, 2023, and assigned serial number 0391268.

The Ford Authority Take

As Ford Authority reported just yesterday, FoMoCo recently filed a patent for a climate-controlled frunk for all-electric vehicles that’s essentially a natural extension of its existing drainable frunk, which is able to double as a cooler for keeping drinks and other items cold. Now, that trend continues with this newly-filed patent, which could preview yet another feature in future Ford EVs – a frunk with built-in shade.

As Ford notes in the patent, one of the biggest benefits of EVs is the fact that they don’t have a massive gas engine located under the hood, which makes room for additional storage. Thus, the “frunk” was born as a way to do precisely that, and thus far, Ford’s EVs all come equipped with a large one. However, this new design proposes adding not only additional headroom when the frunk is open, but also a shade to filter out the sun, too.

In the patent drawings, we can see that the proposed frunk design includes a hood that opens up to a straighter position with a flat grille, which increases head room when one is loading or unloading goods, and it also utilizes a pull-down shade. Such an item would be handy for those that intend to use the frunk as a work surface – as we can also see in the patent drawings – meaning that Ford clearly intends to optimize on this newly-found space in even more ways moving forward.

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