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Charlie: A Revolutionary Induction Range with a Built-In Battery

It draws cheaper power overnight, no need to retrofit to 240V

By Rain Noe - August 28

in Food | Tech

In America, the phrase "Now we're cooking with gas" was slang for "Now we're really operating efficiently."

It originated as a marketing slogan in the 1930s, created by the American Gas Association to push newfangled gas-fired ranges and ovens. And back then, gas stoves were indeed a step up from its predecessor: The wood-fired stove.

Times have changed. We now know that "cooking with gas" could be likened to "playing with fire," in terms of our health. "You wouldn't stand over the tailpipe of a car breathing in the exhaust from that car. And yet nearly 50 million households stand over a gas stove, breathing the same pollutants in their homes," Rob Jackson, an environmental scientist at Stanford University and lead author on a study on pollution from gas cooking, told Food Manufacturing. Gas stoves release pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, which is linked to asthma, and benzene, which is linked to cancer.

Gas stoves can also be a hassle for those who live in cities. Imagine an entire apartment building filled with gas stoves. If a gas leak is detected, as happens a lot—U.S. fire departments are called to some 125,000 residential gas leaks each year—gas to the entire building must be shut off while the problem is addressed. No one in the building can cook until it's fixed—and that can literally take months.

Electric stoves emit no fumes and are more efficient, with up to 80% of the heat generated reaching the target pots and pans. (Gas stoves waste about 50%.) Induction stoves are better still; since they only heat the surface that contacts the pot, their efficiency is around 90%.

The main hassles of switching to an electric or induction stove are the higher cost of the units, and the added expense of retrofitting them. Electric and induction stoves require 240V outlets, higher-amperage breakers and new wiring, which means you've got to hire an electrician to get into the walls.

Now a California-based company called Copper has solved at least one of those problems. They've designed Charlie, a revolutionary induction stove that comes with a battery. Why? Because you can plug it into a regular 120V outlet, no rewiring necessary. The battery draws power at night, when electricity costs are cheaper; when it's time to cook during the day, Charlie's got all the juice it needs. It can run all four burners and the oven at the same time.

The problem Copper hasn't yet solved is the cost. Charlie runs six grand, about double what you'd pay for a high-end electric or gas stove. Hopefully those costs will come down over time.

Even with the high price tag, the company has managed to strike a deal with the NYC Housing Authority to deliver 10,000 units. Clean-energy government incentives—which will probably go away under the new administration—brought the price down to $3,200 per unit at the time the deal was struck. The Charlie units will be a boon for building managers who don't want to deal with gas hassles and don't have the budget to retrofit every apartment's kitchen with 240V.

One challenge with installation I should mention is, the battery-laden Charlie units are extremely heavy, at over 350 lbs. (Electric or gas stoves usually weigh less than half that.) For the sake of the installers, hopefully they're going into elevator buildings.

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Charles Flynn

10 hours ago

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https://copperhome.com/pages/faq

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Roger ak

10 hours ago

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Not a fan of front mounted controls on a stove. Too easy for kids or pets to get at them and cause a fire.
Also, would it not be just a little bit better to place the battery pack in a remote location such as the basement close to breaker panel or in the garage?

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- Adam Nunn
  
  Roger ak
  
  8 hours ago
  
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  Interesting point, though at least since it's induction, it doesn't actually create an open flame, and doesn't even produce much heat until there's a magnetic object on top of the element.
  
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  - Michael DiTullo
    
    Adam Nunn
    
    2 hours ago
    
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    Exactly! And a big benefit of putting the battery in the stove is it's already a big metal box, integrating it eliminates having to wire up to a secondary box and because the onboard batteries power the range it allows it to plug into a standard outlet. Putting another big box in the basement elevates apartment dwellers, and introduces a bunch of wiring and the need for a 240v plug. The exact problems the Copper Charlie is trying to solve.
    
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