Has anyone replaced their cabin air filter and realised how much space is wasted?

First, credit to whoever designed the cabin air filter placement in the EV6. It was the easiest replacement I’ve ever done. No tools, no awkward twisting under the dash, and no glove box removal. Just pop off part of the frunk and you’re done.

But, wow, the EV6 RWD has so much wasted space in the frunk. I understand using standard parts, but there’s enough room there to have made a much bigger storage area. Right now, it’s just enough for a charger, adapter, and maybe a small tire inflator. Someone even improvised with a plastic bus tray to create a bigger compartment.

Here’s the link if anyone wants to check it out: EV6 RWD Larger Frunk Discussion

In Europe and other markets, the RWD frunk is bigger because they don’t have the same regulations as the US about internal release mechanisms. You can buy the European version and use it in your car with no issues.

@Thayer
Exactly. When I was thinking of getting an RWD, I already had the Korean spec bin in my shopping cart.

Blue said:
@Thayer
Exactly. When I was thinking of getting an RWD, I already had the Korean spec bin in my shopping cart.

Where can I get this? I’ve been looking everywhere.

@Thayer
I searched for one a while ago but didn’t find anything. Any suggestions on where to look?

@Thayer
Can someone explain what these internal release mechanisms actually do? Wouldn’t using the European frunk cause issues?

Niko said:
@Thayer
Can someone explain what these internal release mechanisms actually do? Wouldn’t using the European frunk cause issues?

The internal release is required in the US if the compartment is big enough for a child to fit inside. The AWD frunk is small enough to avoid this, but the larger RWD frunk would need a hood release inside the bin, which the EV6 doesn’t have.

Niko said:
@Thayer
Can someone explain what these internal release mechanisms actually do? Wouldn’t using the European frunk cause issues?

It’s a safety rule. If a child can fit in, there must be a way to open it from the inside.

The AWD version definitely doesn’t have much space, unfortunately. The RWD uses the same frunk insert because of North American regulations. But you can get a bigger one for the RWD if you retrofit it.

Also, isn’t it great how simple the cabin filter change is? It’s probably the best design of any car I’ve had since 2003.

@Rex
All my older cars had the cabin filter behind the glove box, and I always had to twist into weird positions to get to it. The only decent one was my Santa Fe, where it was just behind the glove box.

By the way, I found a video showing the part numbers, but it’s not available here. This seems like a good side gig for someone in Europe to bulk ship these parts. EV Buyer’s Guide

I used a large Harbor Freight box to make use of the space. It’s the Bauer large box. It’s a popular DIY hack I saw people sharing on this forum.

Morgan said:
I used a large Harbor Freight box to make use of the space. It’s the Bauer large box. It’s a popular DIY hack I saw people sharing on this forum.

Do you have a link or pictures?

@Jin
Here’s an image: Harbor Freight Box

Morgan said:
@Jin
Here’s an image: Harbor Freight Box

Thanks for sharing this.

You can buy a full-sized RWD frunk from Korea, but it’s a bit expensive. Here’s the link: Korean Frunk Option

Looks like AWD owners just prefer more trunk space, I guess.

I have the larger RWD frunk and use it all year. In winter, I keep the charging cable, snow chains, gloves, and a towel. In summer, I swap the chains for a camping adapter and hair dryer, but the charging cable stays in year-round.

Coming from a regular petrol car, I don’t really see why having more frunk space matters so much. But…