We finally have a clear shot of the Tesla Cybertruck with frunk open
Tesla is currently testing the dual-motor Cybertruck, of which we’ve been getting a lot of pictures, and now we have the best look yet at its wide-but-shallow frunk.
We’ve seen photos of the Cybertruck’s massive frunk opening before, but they’ve always been taken from a distance or the side – never a great look at the actual opening and how much space there might be for cargo. Last month, we got a blurry side video of the frunk with the liner open, which gave a pretty good idea of what the opening looks like, but that was still at a poor angle.
This morning, we got more photos of the hood open, but there was no frunk liner installed, instead giving us a view of the car’s internals – or at least, the internals of an engineering test unit.
But now we have a full photo of the actual frunk open with lining installed, showing us just how much cargo space it will have and how usable that cargo space might be. Plus, despite the low resolution of the photo, if you look closely, you can see what looks like the Cybertruck logo embossed into the lining:
The photo was posted on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum by forum user Old Spice, aka Ben. It was taken today, but that’s all the information we have.
As shown in the last video, the opening is indeed rather shallow. It’s smaller than some other frunks we’ve seen lately – smaller than the F-150 Lightning’s huge opening, not as long as the Escalade IQ’s, and it may be less deep than the Rivian’s (though this is harder to tell from the photo).
Here are photos of the frunks on each of those three vehicles to get a sense of what we’re comparing with here:
F-150 Lightning frunk
But the thing the Cybertruck has over all three of those frunks is width and ease of access. The Rivian is deep, but there’s a big lift-over ledge, which makes it more awkward to get heavy stuff inside. The Lightning has a bit of a lip, too, though it’s relatively low. The Escalade does well in this respect, with almost no lip, making it easy to slide objects in and out, but its frunk is narrower than the Cybertruck’s wide opening.
The Cybertruck’s frunk seems almost completely flat. There’s a small ridge there, but it’s not high enough to restrict sliding things in and out of it. So if you’ve got something heavy that you don’t want to lift in and out of the trunk, and would rather slide it in – like a cooler full of ice, for example – the design of the Cybertruck’s frunk will be good for that application.
Additionally, there’s very little bumper in front of it, and nothing is painted, so you don’t have to worry about scratching the paint or getting dirty stuff on the uncarpeted plastic interior. It even looks like it could serve as an impromptu bench for “frunk-gating,” but perhaps the trunk lid is a little too low for those purposes.
The ease of access does have a downside, however. Cargo (such as groceries) could shift around while driving and might end up leaning against the trunk opening, ready to spill out when opened. A net could solve this for owners who use their frunk for those purposes, though we don’t see any included mounting points for one in the photo.
And, while the frunk is a little shallow, Tesla claims the Cybertruck will be the first sub-19-foot pickup with four doors and a 6+ foot bed (though that record might not last long if the TELO truck makes it to production). Something had to give, and frankly, more trunk space is probably more usable than more frunk space. So it’s understandable that this choice was made.
What do you think of the Tesla Cybertruck’s frunk now that we’ve gotten a better look at it? Is it what you expected? What are you planning to carry around in it? Let us know in the comments.
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Environment
Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
- West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
- Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
- RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
- Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
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