Can this new induction stove help fuel the transition to clean cooking?

On Thursday, Copper, creator of the first induction stove with a built-in battery, launched the next generation of its superefficient electric range: the Charlie 2.0.

The plug-and-play appliance is designed to make it easier to ditch fossil-fueled cooking, and the Charlie 2.0 is more powerful than its predecessor, making meals quicker to cook, according to the Berkeley, California–based startup. Each of the new version’s four burners can draw 3,000 watts, a 7% improvement, and its oven preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in about four minutes — that’s more than four times quicker than many gas ovens.

Plus, the new model can be plugged into both 120-volt and 240-volt outlets, unlike classic Charlie’s 120-volt limit. The update will make Copper’s product a better fit for a wider range of homes, according to Sam Calisch, the company’s CEO and co-founder. 

The 50-employee startup, which has raised $38 million to date, also announced on Thursday that global appliance maker Miele will manufacture the Charlie 2.0 at its first U.S. plant in Opelika, Alabama. The factory already churns out Miele ranges and ovens.

“We love [Miele’s] commitment to quality,” said Mitchell Heinrich, Copper’s vice president of product. The new partnership ​“gives us the opportunity to really learn from the best out there.”

This is the first time that Miele, established in Germany in 1899 and winner of multiple design awards, has produced another brand’s appliance, according to Copper.

“The US is a strategically important growth market for Miele,” Uwe Brunkhorst, senior vice president of business for its cooking unit, said in a statement. ​“Our partnership with Copper now adds new technology capabilities … creating opportunities for new products and future business areas.”

Plenty of reasons are motivating households to put fossil gas in the past. Gas stoves pollute the air with toxic carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and carcinogens that harm health, especially kids’. Induction, which heats pans directly with electromagnetism rather than flames, is faster, safer to use, and easier to clean. A growing number of renowned chefs, from Samin Nosrat, author of the award-winning cookbook ​“Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” to Christopher Kimball, culinary media magnate of Milk Street, are choosing induction to whip up their mouthwatering dishes. 

But switching from gas to conventional electric systems can be costly. Whereas a gas stove typically hooks up to a gas line and plugs into a 120-volt outlet, an electric induction or resistance range usually plugs into a 240-volt socket, because of its higher power needs. Adding the outlet would require an electrician. An induction stove can even trigger an electrical service upgrade — a gut punch of an expense that can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $30,000.

To sidestep that electrification hurdle and help the more than 40 million households cooking with gas make the switch, startups Copper, Impulse Labs, and Electra Research have incorporated batteries into their induction stoves, which can sip power from a 120-volt outlet and provide the bursts of energy needed for cooking. While the Charlie 2.0 starts at $6,799, thousands more than a top-rated non-battery induction stove, its simpler installation can make it the cheaper option. Its 5-kilowatt-hour battery also helps in a power outage; per Copper, it’s got enough energy to scramble more than 300 eggs.

Copper says it has sold thousands of units and has partner installers in several major cities. Earlier this month, the startup launched its first retail partnership with Royal Green Appliance. And last year, New York authorities contracted Copper as part of a $32 million initiative to design, test, and install 10,000 plug-in stoves in New York City public housing, pending a successful 100-unit pilot slated to start next year.

“We’re continuing to install Charlie in homes and multifamily buildings across the country,” Calisch said. ​“And the new Charlie is purpose-built to meet that growing demand with more power, performance, and flexibility.”