Connect with us

Published

1 year ago

on

induction battery ovens impulse copper

Induction stoves are a great, safe way to save on electricity costs and can heat much quicker, safer, and more accurately than natural gas or propane stoves. But a new breed of these stoves includes huge batteries, which opens up new opportunities by only requiring a 120V outlet, offering 40-sec water boiling, backup power to other appliances like the refrigerator, and even IRA tax rebates. Let’s take a look at two of these new models and try to understand if it makes sense for an oven to have a huge battery over a more centralized Powerwall type of home backup battery.

This is part of a continuing series at Electrek that focuses on home energy usage, see our coverage of heat pump washer/dryers

Why induction stoves make a lot of sense

Induction stoves send electromagnetic waves to pots and pans that are magnetic, heating up only a limited area where food and liquid go. Because of this, they are more efficient than typical electric resistance stoves and also safer because the surface of the oven doesn’t get very hot.

As for natural gas and propane, every study that comes out shows that there are significant health hazards with burning gas inside, as well as multiple opportunities for leaks, which are even more unhealthy. Not to mention, they add more carbon to the atmosphere.

One of the last reasons for a gas stove is speed and accuracy in cooking. Those have both been supplanted by induction, which can boil a liter of water in 40 seconds and heat much more accurately. Even Woks now have induction capabilities.

Because Induction stoves are energy efficient, some of the cost can be offset by an IRA rebate of up to $840, and that’s before you add a battery to the mix.

Why add a battery to an Induction oven?

There are a ton of Induction oven options out there, but a new breed includes a significant battery inside the actual stove/top. By adding a battery, you can heat four burners with a normal household 120V line.

This is important for those replacing gas or propane stoves and don’t want to add the cost of running a 240V line that most resistance and induction ovens require.

But there are some other uses. First of all, it means your stove can work in a blackout. Or it can run entirely off the battery during peak and super peak cost times, saving money and requiring fewer peaker plants to operate at scale.

Even better, it can back up important appliances in your kitchen (fridge) and elsewhere in the home. For people in small homes, it could function as a whole house backup in some cases.

That’s important because it doesn’t require an electrician to install. You can get much of the utility of a home Powerwall battery in a small package that installs as easily as an oven.

The Battery Induction Options

Impulse Labs’ $5500 Cooktop is the most prominent product out there and includes a cooktop but not an oven with a 3kWh battery. Because of that big LFP battery, the cooktop only requires a 120V outlet (but also works on 240V).

That 3kWh battery coupled with the 1.5kW AC can output 10kW of power which the company claims will boil a liter of water in as little as 40 seconds. That’s many times quicker than resistance ovens and gas stoves. If you opt for a 240V connector, the device can act like a grid-tied inverter, sending up to 2.2kW of power back into the house when the power goes out. That means over an hour of home backup power is living in your cooktop (?!)

Impulse Cooktop Highlights

  • Expected shipment in Q4 2024.
  • Proprietary temperature sensing and first party induction technology in each 9” burner.
  • Peak performance of 10 kW – about 3 times current induction and 5 times high-end gas stoves.
  • Each heating element contains an LED ring for clear communication of the burner state.
  • Sleek, user friendly design and 12.8” LCD interface.
  • Four removable, magnetic knobs for ease of control and cleaning.
  • Integrated 3 kWh LFP battery provides unparalleled performance, back-up power to run the stove during outages, and load shifting for bill savings and clean energy use.

Price & Rebates

  • A $249 deposit today secures your Impulse Cooktop at the limited, discounted price of $5,499*, the remaining balance of $5,250* will be charged automatically prior to confirmed ship date.
  • The Impulse Cooktop is eligible for the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit, reducing the total price to approximately $3,850* after refund. Customers are responsible for applying for credits. Eligibility for additional federal and state subsidies depends on household income and location, learn more in our FAQs.

Specs

  • Dimensions: 30” cooktop.
  • Performance: up to 10 kW with exact temperature control starting at room temperature.
  • Pan compatibility: works with induction-compatible pans.
  • Power requirements: 120V / 15A (NEMA 5-15P plug) or 240V circuit.
  • Battery: 3 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate.
  • Inverter: grid-tied, up to 2.2 kW, 220-250V 50-60 Hz AC.
  • Depth: fits in standard drop-in countertops (compatible with typical drawer clearance).

Whole Induction Oven

Channing Street Copper in Berkeley, CA takes a different approach with their $6000 “Charlie” oven. Instead of a sleek, modern stovetop, they include a whole classic looking oven and bigger 4kWh LFP battery. Yes, those are walnut wood knobs.

That 4kWh battery is big enough to not only get IRA money as an efficient oven upgrade, but also as a whole house backup battery. About a third the size of a Tesla Powerwall, it can backup a refrigerator for days or a small apartment for hours.

The burners aren’t quite as fast as the Impulse, notching a still respectable 3.2kW/ea

Channing Street Copper lays out the gameplan – the important bit however is that this is currently limited to San Francisco Bay area residents and is currently fully subscribed.

With the federal 30% battery tax credit, the final cost will be approximately $4,200.

Federal induction range incentive of $840 rebate will apply to anyone switching from a gas range and earning less than 150% of Area Median Income.

Bay Area local incentive or $750 rebate will apply to to anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area switching from a gas range.

Additional local incentives may apply, and we will help ensure you get every applicable rebate or tax credit available.

For comparison, buying a conventional induction range and rewiring your Bay Area kitchen will exceed $5,000 in most cases.

The LFP battery is stored at the bottom below the heated areas and there is an outlet built in for backup devices.

Here’s a great podcast with the founders if you want to get really geeky on the matter.

Electrek’s take

We’re early days but for many of the same reasons that 120V heat pump washer/dryers make a lot of sense, so do induction ovens with onboard batteries. It is incredibly expensive to run a new 240V line from the breaker box to the kitchen, often as much as the cost of the appliance.

People are taxing their home breaker boxes by adding electric vehicle chargers and replacing fossil fuel heating with heat pumps. These ovens let you take that 240V circuit elsewhere and not into the kitchen oven.

As far as a home battery, it is probably more cost effective and efficient to centralize the home battery in something like a Tesla Powerwall rather than have batteries living in appliances like ovens. But not everyone can put a whole home battery into their home, and even if they can, it isn’t cheap. As a secondary backup or for a small apartment, getting a significant sized battery backup as a perk from your oven seems like a pretty good bonus.

And, if nothing else, this should be the nail in the coffin for gas ovens which are more dangerous, slower and worse fo r the environment.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Environment

Lectric restocks e-bikes with up to $654 in free gear from $999, Anker 521 station $170, Greenworks battery discounts, Rachio, more

Published

2 hours ago

on

May 14, 2025

By

Lectric restocks e-bikes with up to 4 in free gear from 9, Anker 521 station 0, Greenworks battery discounts, Rachio, more

For today’s Green Deals, we’re starting with Lectric’s ongoing Mother’s Day Sale e-bike deals after the brand has restocked several models that sold out over the last few weeks, including the XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes that are coming along with $336 in free gear at $1,299. Next, we spotted the tried-and-true Anker 521 Portable Power Station dropping down to $170, which has been upgraded with LiFePO4 cells. There’s also a selection of Greenworks 40V and 80V batteries seeing up to 32% discounts, led by the G-MAX 40V 5.0Ah Battery that has dropped to its $126 low. Lastly, we have Rachio’s 3rd Gen 8-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller falling to $170. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s new DELTA 2 Max solar generator bundle low, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Lectric’s XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes are back in stock and coming with $336 in free gear at $1,299

Lectric has some ongoing bundle deals that are left over from the brand’s short-term Mother’s Day Sale, which are also running alongside the ongoing preorder bundles for its new XP4 and XP4 750 e-bikes that launched last week. Among the offers, one notable option is Lectric’s XPress 750 e-bikes for $1,299 shipped, which are now back in stock and coming with $336 in free gear – plus, it’s one of the few models getting the option for $200 off a spare long-range battery to double the mileage (found with the bundled items on the landing page). This bundle would normally cost you $1,635 in full, but the brand is known for its discounts, primarily being on the add-on packages rather than the bikes themselves. Along with your purchase, you’ll be scoring a steel-encased rear cargo rack, fenders to go over both tires, an Elite headlight upgrade, and a suspension seat post. Head below for more on this and the other models seeing savings.

Coming in both Step-Thru and Step-Over frames, the Lectric XPress 750 e-bikes are one of my favorite commuter models that I’ve had the experience riding, with more and more of them popping up across NYC since their release last year. The stock bike with the 14Ah battery weighs in at just under 60 pounds (so a little more with the added-on accessories), equipped with a 750W rear hub motor (1,310 peak) and providing up to 60 miles of travel while its five PAS levels are active, which are supported by a torque sensor for more effortless pick-up and hill climbing. In terms of speed, it all depends on your local laws, with the motor producing either 20 MPH or 28 MPH top speeds, and of course, there are throttles for pure electric cruises, but this will lessen its travel range.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

As with the case of most of the Lectric’s EVs, there’s a solid array of other features on the XPress 750 e-bikes for its $1,299 price tag, like the puncture-resistant tires, hydraulic mineral oil brakes, front suspension fork, a 7-geared freewheel paired with a Shimano derailleur, removable pedals, a thru-axle wheel attachment system for tool-free installations, kickstand, a hidden cable routing system, an integrated headlight and taillight, and a full-color LCD display with a USB-A port to charge your personal devices, especially if you use them as a GPS while riding.

Lectric’s XP4 e-bike preorders with up to $356 bundles (shipping June 2):

Lectric’s XP 3.0 Long-Range e-bike clearance offers (price cuts only):

XPedition 2.0 offers with up to $654 bundles:

XP Electric Trike with $420 bundle

XPeak 2.0 offers with up to $316 bundles:

XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bike offers with up to $316 bundles:

ONE LR e-bike with $220 bundle

Anker 521 portable power station

Get compact personal backup power with Anker’s 521 portable LiFePO4 station at $170

Through its official Amazon storefront, Anker has dropped the price on its 521 Portable Power Station to $169.99 shipped. This unit normally carries a $200 price tag at full here, with the brand’s direct website pricing it higher with a $250 MSRP. Discounts on this model regularly bring the cost down to $170 or its $160 low, with many Lightning deals staggered between longer-lasting price cuts. Anker’s direct website is currently having a flash sale on it for $180, which is beaten out here at Amazon by $10 for a solid $30 off the going rate ($80 off its MSRP) at the second-best price we have tracked.

While this isn’t one of the latest models from the brand, the Anker 521 power station has been upgraded with LiFePO4 battery cells. It comes as a more compact personal backup power solution that provides a 256Wh capacity to keep your devices juiced up while out travelling or as an emergency means during blackouts. It comes surge protected, delivering up to 600W of output power through its six port options – two ACs, two USB-As, one USB-C, and one car port. There are multiple ways to recharge its battery: via a wall outlet, the USB-C port, with a 65W solar panel, or with your car’s auxiliary port.

greenworks G-MAX 40V 5.0Ah battery

Save up to 32% on Greenworks 40V and 80V batteries like the G-MAX 5.0Ah model down at its $126 low

Amazon is offering discounts across some Greenworks batteries, so you can stock up your arsenal for guaranteed power when you need it. Among the models we’re seeing, the most notable is the brand’s G-MAX 40V 5.0Ah Battery for $125.99 shipped, with the price also matching direct from Greenworks’ website. This upgraded model normally fetches $180 at full price, with two previous discounts in 2025 taking things lower than ever to this same rate. You’re getting another shot at the lowest price we have tracked on this model, helping you stock up while saving you $54 off the going rate.

Greenworks is one of the best beginner-friendly electric lawn care solutions to replace gas-guzzlers, especially considering that its batteries work across multiple tools and even EVs. For those with an arsenal of 40V tools and devices, this battery is the second-largest for that particular ecosystem, only beaten in capacity by its 8.0Ah counterpart. It comes designed with multiple protections against overheating, short circuiting, over voltage, over current, over discharging, over charging, and more – plus, there’s even an LED indicator that gives you at-a-glance battery levels.

Other Greenworks batteries seeing discounts:

Earlier, we saw Greenworks’ latest Pro-tier 2,300 PSI Electric Pressure Washer dropping back to its $280 low, with many other lawn care solutions rounded together in the same post.

rachio 8-zone smart sprinkler controller

Streamline your sprinklers while cutting water costs with Rachio’s 3rd-gen 8-zone smart controller at $170

Amazon is helping folks streamline their sprinkler setups with the Rachio 3rd Gen 8-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller getting taken down to $169.99 shipped right now. While the device is listed with a $230 price tag, we’ve been seeing it post up at $200 when at full price these days, with discounts having been more sparse since March. While we have seen it go as low as $146 in the past, this is still a solid $30 markdown that lets you upgrade your sprinklers and irrigation system with “30-minute or less DIY installation.” You can also bundle this device with a weatherproof enclosure for $202, down from $270.

Everyone has different needs when it comes to their yards, and for those with more sizable gardens and lawns, you’ll be able to better streamline controls over watering by installing this popular Rachio device, shrinking water costs in the process too. After the “30-minute or less DIY installation,” which requires no special tools, you’ll gain this device’s weather recognition tech that comes programmed to automatically skip watering during or after inclement weather has moved in, with functions like rain skip, wind skip, freeze skip, and more. What’s great here, is that once installed, you won’t have to worry about extra charges or app subscriptions, with it giving you all the controls to manage things through its companion app on your phone.

Best Spring EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla’s Robyn Denholm made 5x more than next best-paid chair, a role Musk said was usefuless

Published

5 hours ago

on

May 14, 2025

By

Tesla's Robyn Denholm made 5x more than next best-paid chair, a role Musk said was usefuless

Robyn Denholm, Tesla’s chairwoman, made five times more money than the next best-paid board chair, a role Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk said was useless.

In 2018, Musk settled with the SEC for falsely claiming he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 a share, he was forced to resign as chair of Tesla’s board.

Musk basically handpicked Robyn Denholm to become the new chair, which he then called a useless “honorific” titled:

“Chairman’ is an honorific, not executive role, which means it’s not needed to run Tesla. Will retire that title at Tesla in 3 years.”

Denholm made a lot of money in this useless honorific role.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

She has made over $530 million, almost entirely through stock option compensation, since becoming Tesla’s chairperson.

Most of her stock sales happened over the last year:

The New York Times released a new report looking into Denholm’s compensation and found that she was paid about 5 times more than the next best-paid nonexecutive chair.

Tesla paid its chair about 5 times more than UnitedHealth’s:

The nonexecutive chair with the next-highest profit from selling shares in the company he oversees was Stephen Hemsley of UnitedHealth Group. Mr. Hemsley has earned more than $100 million from the sale of UnitedHealth shares since November 2018, though he received all of that stock while he was chief executive of the health care company.

To Musk’s point about the role being honorific, it’s not clear what Denholm accomplished during her time as chair.

She and the rest of Tesla’s board oversee Tesla’s executive management, led by Musk, but Musk has been allowed to do whatever he wants for years.

They have backed his every move, granted him a $55 billion CEO compensation package, and remained silent when he threatened Tesla shareholders that he would not develop AI products at Tesla unless given a larger, more controlling share of the company, or decided to fire Tesla’s entire charging team to make an example out of the head of the team.

Most recently, they have not addressed the protests at Tesla stores and product boycotts, which are attributed to Musk’s involvement in politics, angering a significant portion of the population and Tesla’s consumer base.

Only recently was there a report suggesting the board floated the idea of replacing Musk to gain leverage in forcing him to spend more time at Tesla. Even then, the board quickly denied the report, which only claimed that they were doing their jobs in planning the CEO succession.

Electrek’s Take

Based on Musk’s comment, Denholm was paid half a billion dollars to do nothing. That’s literally all that was required of her after replacing Musk as chair of the board: nothing.

Musk is in charge. She is just an “honorific” figurehead that is required to back his every move.

Just as Tesla’s then-third-largest individual shareholder, after Musk, Leo KoGuan, told Electrek last year, when he couldn’t get his concerns about Musk heard by the board, Tesla is “a family business masquerading as a public company.”

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

UrbanLink nearly doubles order of REGENT electric seagliders to transport over 4M passengers a year

Published

6 hours ago

on

May 14, 2025

By

UrbanLink nearly doubles order of REGENT electric seagliders to transport over 4M passengers a year

UrbanLink

Less than a year after announcing an order for 27 electric seaglider planes from REGENT Craft, advanced air mobility (AAM) specialist UrbanLink has nearly doubled that order size to support plans for high-frequency commercial flights around the southeastern United States.

While advanced air mobility may be a nascent industry, companies around the globe are continuously gearing up to establish commercial networks that support air taxi travel and other sustainable commercial operations. In the US, particularly Southern Florida, UrbanLink has been making tons of moves to establish itself as a major player in that space when it happens.

UrbanLink has already been working for years to enable zero-emission, end-to-end travel within a 500-mile range by 2028 before expanding that range to 1,000 miles by 2030, beginning with its hub cities of Miami, Los Angeles, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The company believes its actions have adequately positioned it to become the first airline in the US to integrate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft into its fleet. Fellow eVTOL network Archer Aviation is also in the race, so it’s exciting times for commercial air taxi development.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

UrbanLink has committed to purchasing from several eVTOL and electric plane developers, including Artemis Sea Crafts, Eviation Aircraft, and Lilium, as we reported back in June 2024. Last fall, the AAM operator announced it was adding more vessels to its growing fleet in South Florida, committing to purchase 27 electric seagliders from REGENT Craft.

Today, UrbanLink and REGENT announced an expansion of their existing partnership in which the former has upped its purchase order to 47 electric seagliders.

UrbanLink
Source: UrbanLink

REGENT Craft and UrbanLink shared details of the expanded partnership this morning, in hopes of establishing Florida as the bona fide leader in sustainable coastal aerial mobility.

Per the company, the nearly doubling of the existing order for REGENT’s Viceroy electric seagliders will support a more rapid rollout of UrbanLink’s aerial operations between the southern Florida and Puerto Rico regions. REGENT co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer spoke about the expanded seaglider order:

UrbanLink’s expanded order is a clear vote of confidence in REGENT’s seaglider technology and is testament to our continued timely execution certification and product development milestones. Together, we’re building a more convenient and connected future for coastal communities.

As the map above shows, electric sea glider travel can cut the travel time from Miami to West Palm Beach by nearly 75%. This single route represents a growing demand for convenient and more sustainable alternatives for short-haul travel in the US, and UrbanLink hopes to provide that to Florida visitors and beyond.

For example, the company shared that it anticipates that its seaglider operations in Miami alone could provide more sustainable travel options to up to 4.3 million passengers per year when commercial operations begin. UrbanLink founder and chairman Ed Wegel also spoke:

We’re proud to expand our partnership with REGENT and bring this revolutionary technology to more passengers traveling high-demand routes across Florida and Puerto Rico. This partnership propels Florida to the forefront of global innovation in advanced, all-electric mobility.

REGENT’s full-scale Viceroy electric seaglider prototype is currently in the process of successful sea trials en route to certification from the US Coast Guard. These 12-passenger vessels can reach up to 180 mph and travel up to 180 miles on a single charge.

First deliveries of the Viceroy seagliders to UrbanLink are expected to begin sometime in 2027.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending