People who have embraced electric vehicles have had some time to adjust to the different idiosyncrasies these cars have compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. One of their many unique features is the bonus of a frunk – a front-mounted trunk – to store luggage in the nose where an ICE car’s engine would have been. In a recent patent filing with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, Nissan outlines a flexible system that securely holds the spare wheel – which is often stored in the frunk – in a space-saving manner to ensure maximum frunk capacity.
Living The Frunk Life
With the spare wheel and your luggage competing for space in the frunk, Nissan’s patent ensures space-efficient packaging of the spare wheel so that cargo space is maximized. The wheel is securely fastened, and has a fool-proof way to tell if it isn’t, while being simple to disengage, so the spare is instantly and easily accessible when required.
The system comprises the following parts:
- A rigid arm securely anchors the spare wheel and provides support for it
- The elastic portion stretches to engage/disengage the retaining clip
- The retaining clip grips the spare tire by its tread
- An engaging hook grips the wheel by its center hole to hold it in place
- A clip holder holds onto the retaining arm while removing the spare
- A warning system visually indicates whether the clip is properly connected
Simple But Necessary
This is not an expensive or complicated system, but goes to show how an elegant solution can make life easier. By ensuring that the spare wheel is as efficiently and unobtrusively stored in the frunk as possible, luggage space can be maximized. Nissan’s solution is designed to make the spare wheel easy and quick to access, and the handy clip holder prevents the retaining arm from falling into the frunk while you remove the spare wheel. It’s a simple solution that should be cheap to implement.
