A cardboard box found new life after being recruited by Ford to help develop a new feature called Mega Power Frunk.

According to the automaker, the new front luggage compartment of the all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning pickup truck, or "frunk" as the industry calls it, is the largest in the truck industry — with a 400-liter (14.1 cubic feet) cargo compartment And the largest cargo hold payload capacity is 400 lbs. 1

"The Mega Power Frunk of the F-150 Lightning pickup truck is one of the features that can be provided to customers by reshaping the vehicle. Its absolute size, sufficient power supply, drainable floor and opening and closing system that can be opened with the push of a button, Make it great!" said Linda Zhang, F-150 Lightning Chief Project Engineer.

What many people don't know is that this spacious and vibrant space was originally a simple cardboard box with a cut-out on the front door and an openable hood.

Understand the needs of customers

It started with Team Edison in February 2018, Ford’s dedicated battery electric car incubator, which combines close cooperation between different teams to find solutions that meet customer needs. A small group of young user experience designers traveled to California, where they sat down with real Ford truck and fleet customers to discuss how they would use such features. The prototype is made of cardboard to simplify and reduce costs. It is made in about a day using scissors and hot glue. Every meeting is taken to help customers imagine opportunities.

In the studio, passenger car design strategy director Greg Ardisana and other researchers in the Edison team worked as consultants with engineering and design when they encountered customer usage problems, which led to close collaboration between the teams.

“Since frunk is a new space, all truck customers we interact with are very excited about its use and the uses they can get from it in their daily lives,” Ardisana said. "We need to accept what they want and find a way to achieve it."

Truck customers don’t imagine one, but two golf bags, even if it’s not a golf day. Additional permanent storage keeps valuables out of sight, lockable and safe. The fleet owner saw their staff use this space to haul concrete bags on the construction site and charge their power tools. The client also hopes to see the lights, power sockets, work surfaces and optimized access heights at night to make the space truly usable. All these valuable insights come from a simple cardboard.

Asymmetric hood with two golf bags

There are challenges. Due to the cargo volume figures provided by the vehicle architects, the first one is the size of the suitcase. It must fit two golf bags, but this means sacrificing a symmetrical fork design.

The team sees it as a need for durable and easy-to-clean refrigerators, and a rubber floor with non-slip properties. Once frunk fits into the main shell, the next obstacle is to find a way to add all the features to the customer's wish list.

The lighting starts with typical luggage compartment lighting. It is practical, but lacks the "wow" factor. Therefore, the team turned and installed truck bed lights in the hood of the frunk. These lights provide a light source on the inside of the hood to prevent cargo from blocking the lights and eliminate unnecessary glare and shadows in the loading area.

Four power outlets and two USB chargers have been added to provide versatility for work and entertainment. 2.4 kilowatts of power can be used for everything from TVs to laptops, speakers to rice cookers, power tools and other equipment.

Easy to access, drain and open and close easily

Finally, the aisles for lifting and removing objects from the luggage compartment must be waist-height, because customers do not want to have to cross the bed rails of the truck for their equipment. The engineering and design team integrated the waterfall grille into the hood, and they were able to create an accessible height similar to the rear cargo area of ​​the Ford Expedition. Mega Power Frunk has an electric opening and closing system, and also has six different opening methods, including via the FordPass app on the phone and via the integrated button on the grille2.

After opening the trunk, customers can fill it with ice and drinks to "close the door" because it is waterproof, cleanable and the floor can be drained.

Steve McInally said that the team treats every detail as an opportunity to explore. "We put our customers first in every decision we make and are able to deliver Mega Power Frunk," he said. "It will blow people's minds." The 2022 F-150 Lightning pickup will be available in the spring of 2022.