THE TESLA FRUNK AS A COOLER: A FULL DAY TEST

MORNING: FULLY LOADED

The setup is simple. Pull the drain plug, line the frunk with a bag of ice, bury your drinks and snacks, close the hood. The Model Y frunk fits a full bag of ice with room to spare — we had four Cokes, several Capri Suns, a couple of Lunchables, and still had space left over.

The frunk is waterproof and the walls are thick enough that it doesn't feel like you're just pouring ice into a cardboard box. It's solid, sealed, and the latch clicks shut tight over everything.

Start of day — full bag of ice, drinks buried and cold.

MIDDAY: STILL GOING

Several hours in and the ice is doing its job. It's a Boston summer day — not Phoenix, but warm enough to melt a regular cooler pretty fast. The frunk isn't insulated like a Yeti, so the ice is definitely working harder than it would in a dedicated cooler. But everything is still cold, the drinks are still crisp, and the Lunchables haven't turned into soup.

The key advantage here isn't insulation — it's convenience. The frunk is at waist height, opens with the app or a tap on the hood, and doesn't take up any of the interior space or the rear cargo area. It's just there, doing its job, while the rest of the car operates normally.

Midday — ice holding. Everything still cold.

END OF DAY: THE VERDICT

By end of day the ice is mostly gone — melted into water with a few chunks remaining. The drinks that were still in there were still cold, not warm. Everything survived the day intact.

Cleanup is the real win here. Pop the drain plug at the bottom of the frunk, let the water drain out, rinse with a water bottle, done. No wet cooler to haul inside, no soggy towels, no mess in the trunk. The frunk drains directly out the bottom of the car and you're done in about 30 seconds.

End of day — ice gone, but drinks still cold. Drain plug cleanup took 30 seconds.

THE BIGGER POINT ABOUT EVS

The frunk cooler thing is fun, but it's also a good illustration of something most people don't think about when they're considering an EV: the absence of an engine doesn't just mean cleaner emissions and lower fuel costs. It means physical space that didn't exist before.

In a gas car, that front section is entirely occupied by the engine, transmission, coolant systems, and a dozen other mechanical components. None of that space is usable. In an EV, it's just... a trunk. A waterproof, drainable, lockable trunk that opens from the app.

You could use it for groceries, a gym bag, wet gear after a beach day, or — as we demonstrated — a full day cooler for the family. It's one of those EV advantages that doesn't show up in the spec sheet but ends up being genuinely useful in daily life.

TIPS IF YOU TRY THIS

• →Remove the drain plug first: Before adding ice. Otherwise water builds up faster than it drains and you have a swimming pool.
• →Use crushed or nugget ice: It fills the gaps better around cans and packs. Regular cubed ice works but leaves more air pockets.
• →Put a liner down first: A cheap plastic bin liner keeps everything contained and makes cleanup even easier.
• →Don't forget the drain plug: When you're done for the day. It'll drain everything out while you drive home.
• →Pre-chill the frunk: Park in shade or add the ice an hour before you need it. Starting cold makes the ice last longer.