Made substantially from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres, the compression-moulded frunks are light in weight and also provide thermal insulation. Autoneum, of Winterthur, Switzerland, says that it has already received orders for the new frunk from three major car makers in Asia and Europe, which will see them used in three models of BEVs in total. The series production of two of the BEVs started in China and Germany in 2025. The production of the balance will begin in a few months.
In the front of a BEV, the absence of a combustion engine creates additional storage space under the bonnet. In contrast to conventional frunk systems, which are made from multiple solid plastic parts and require complex assembly, Autoneum's Ultra-Silent frunk is a single, monomaterial component, which streamlines both manufacturing and assembly processes. Further, Autoneum says that the frunk is up to 50% (or up to 5 kg) lighter in weight than conventional alternatives.
The company adds that, as up to 70% of the PET used to produce the frunk can be sourced from recycled feedstocks, greenhouse-gas emissions associated with its manufacture can be cut by as much as 50% compared with injection-moulded frunks. The frunk can also be recycled at the end of its service life.
Tests conducted under controlled conditions show that ice placed in the Ultra-Silent frunk remained frozen for up to 28 hours at an ambient temperature of 30°C, significantly outperforming conventional plastic alternatives. Further, based on simulations, the Ultra-Silent frunk could improve pedestrian protection and passive safety compared with injection-moulded counterparts, owing to its higher plasticity.
Autoneum's Global Product Manager Exterior, Cyro Rovath, concludes: "With the innovative frunk made from our environmentally friendly Ultra-Silent polyester textile technology, we are supporting automotive manufacturers in their goal of minimising the [carbon dioxide] CO₂ footprint of their products by integrating sustainable and lightweight components."