Cooking on fossil gas is an outdated technology. Compared to modern induction cooking, gas is low powered and has imprecise low temperature control. Gas stoves also emit toxic pollutants into the home, including benzine, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Yet for decades, fossil fuel companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars marketing methane gas cooking as the luxury way to cook.

The result of this successful marketing effort is that 45 million homes in the US have gas cooking appliances, directly causing 13% of US childhood asthma. And leaving these homes with comparatively low-performance cooking experiences.

Swapping out one of these appliances for its modern electric replacement is costly. The wiring and electrical service work required to install a high-powered induction range can cost thousands of dollars for single family homes and tens of thousands of dollars per-apartment in multifamily buildings.

Charlie is designed to solve this problem.

Charlie is the first instance of a whole new category of appliances - energy storage equipped (ESE) appliances. Charlie is an ESE induction range with a sizable onboard battery. This opens up a whole new suite of features and benefits not possible with other induction ranges.

Like all induction ranges, Charlie has more power than a gas stove, and also has more precise low temperature control. However, the battery allows the cooktop to be even more powerful than other ranges without needing any electrical work.

Charlie plugs into a standard 120V outlet saving customers thousands of dollars and a mountain of headache arranging for multiple contractors to do electrical work and range installation. The battery simply charges up through the day, and then deploys power rapidly when you need it to preheat the oven or boil water.

Charlie also delivers this power more elegantly than any range on the market. The hum commonly associated with induction cooking is a result of the AC power used by the induction circuit causing the pan to vibrate at an audible frequency. Charlie is different. Charlie runs on DC power from the battery which eliminates the hum so you can better hear your dinner guests or the music playing in the background while you cook.

As climate change creates more volatile weather, outages greater than two hours are increasingly common. Being an ESE appliance also means that Charlie provides resilience in the case of a power outage. The range can keep cooking for a few days, or 4 - 5 meals, after the power goes out.

As we transition to using renewable energy, the challenge of balancing the electricity grid - between times of peak renewable production and peak use - is emerging as a multi-trillion dollar problem.

$27 Trillion according to Bloomberg NEF.

Charlie helps mitigate this problem by charging when the grid is predominantly running on clean abundant renewable electricity and avoids charging during times of peak consumption. In doing so, the range helps balance the grid throughout the day, making it easier for everyone to use renewable energy.

Introducing Charlie: Redefining Culinary Excellence with Sustainable Innovation

The kitchen range is one of the central objects in our lives. It is a tool for practicing some of our most important and dear cultural traditions of making and sharing meals. Most people touch their range multiple times a day and are overdue for the quality of life improvement that comes with upgrading this most essential of appliances.

America's 45 million gas stoves in particular stand as relics of outdated technology, notorious for their imprecise temperature control and hazardous emissions. However, despite these drawbacks, gas cooking has long been marketed as the epitome of luxury, perpetuating its widespread adoption in households across the United States and beyond.

Yet, this perceived luxury comes at a significant cost. Gas stoves emit a cocktail of toxic pollutants, including benzene, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide, which pose serious health risks, particularly for children. Studies have shown a direct correlation between gas cooking appliances and childhood asthma, with an alarming 13% of cases in the US attributed to exposure to these harmful emissions. Moreover, the environmental ramifications of gas cooking extend beyond indoor air quality, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and exacerbating climate change.

Compared to the other outdated technology of resistance coil electric stoves, gas stoves do indeed feel as though they have more speed and precision. Yet when compared with modern induction cooking, gas and resistance electric stoves are antiquated. The challenge is, if someone wants to upgrade from a gas range to a more powerful and precise induction range, they typically need to do several thousand dollars of electrical work in order to provide enough power to the range. Worse still, the cost and complexity is different for every home, and requires significant work for a homeowner to even understand the challenge they are facing.

Recognizing the urgent need for a better alternative, Channing St. Copper Company created Charlie, a new entrant to the appliance world with a unique approach poised to disrupt the status quo and drastically improve the cooking experience.

Charlie represents the culmination of years of research and development, culminating in the introduction of a new category of appliances: Energy Storage Equipped (ESE) appliances. At its core lies a groundbreaking 5 kWh onboard battery, seamlessly integrated into a familiar induction range form factor with surprising performance, efficiency and truly thoughtful design.

Here's how Charlie is transforming the way we cook:

1. Ease of Installation: Charlie eliminates installation challenges and costs with its effortless installation process. Compatible with standard 120v outlets, Charlie charges during times of peak renewable energy production and then is able to use the stored energy to provide a cooking experience even more powerful that traditional induction ranges. This simplifies a process that could take months, multiple contractors, and thousands of dollars and turns it into a basic 1 hour installation.

2. Power and Precision: Unlike gas stoves, which often struggle with inconsistent heat distribution and imprecise temperature control, Charlie offers chefs and home cooks alike unparalleled power and precision. Leveraging advanced induction technology, Charlie delivers both precise temperature control and rapid heating capabilities.

3. Silent Operation: Traditional induction ranges are often accompanied by an audible hum, resulting from the alternating current (AC) power supply. However, Charlie operates on direct current (DC) power, eliminating the hum and providing users with a serene and peaceful cooking environment.

4. Resilience and Reliability: In an age marked by increasingly frequent and severe weather events, power outages have become a growing concern for homeowners. Charlie addresses this challenge head-on with its onboard battery, which enables the range to continue cooking for multiple meals even in the event of a power outage. This not only provides peace of mind for users but also enhances the overall resilience of the kitchen ecosystem.

5. Grid Sustainability: As the world transitions towards renewable energy sources, the need to balance electricity supply and demand becomes ever more pressing. Charlie plays a crucial role in this transition by strategically charging during periods of peak renewable energy production and avoiding charging during times of peak consumption. By optimizing its energy consumption in alignment with the grid's renewable energy generation, Charlie contributes to a more sustainable and resilient energy ecosystem.

Though there are a suite of appealing benefits, we recognize a core challenge around adoption is that most people expect to own their range for 20 years. Thus familiarity, dependability, and proven robustness are attributes people look for when buying any new appliance.

We've taken a careful and measured approach in Charlie's industrial design to ensure that even though it is a powerful and new piece of technology, that it's visual appearance and user facing controls communicate a sense of approachability, familiarity and reliability.

Here are some considered choices we have made:

1. High quality tactile controls: Most induction cooking appliances use capacitive touch buttons, which are confusing for first time users, often have unreliable sensing and have no tactile feedback. We have designed a set of California Black Walnut knobs as the primary controls for the range. The knobs are an intuitive control system allowing any user to walk up and operate the device without instruction. The hardwood also conveys a sense of quality, durability, and warmth above and beyond the controls of any other appliance.

2. Durable industrial aesthetic: We've styled the front of the range with inspiration from professional industrial stoves. This is most noticeable in the pronounced brow ridge to protect the controls from spills and collision with pots. With the industrial aesthetic comes a simplicity in assembly that makes accessibility for servicing and repair a breeze. These stoves are designed to look good and last for the long haul.

3. Truth in materials: There are no veneers or plated surfaces on the Charlie range. We set out to communicate honesty and trustworthiness by making every material a user touches the true version of that material and not an imitation.

With its innovative technology and considered design, Charlie stands as a tool for positive impact in a world grappling with the urgent challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. By reimagining the way we cook and consume energy, Charlie exemplifies the transformative power of innovation in creating a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.