Sam Calisch and Copper: Building Battery-Powered Induction Appliances for American Homes
A new stove can be more complicated to install than it looks. In many U.S. homes, replacing a gas range with a conventional electric one may require new wiring, a larger electrical panel, or other construction. Those costs can make switching to induction difficult, particularly in older buildings and apartments.
Sam Calisch founded Copper to address this problem by developing an induction stove with a built-in battery. The battery stores energy and supplies the short bursts of power needed for cooking, allowing Copper’s range to plug into a standard 120-volt outlet. The idea is to make going electric feel more like replacing an appliance than renovating a kitchen.
The electrical problem behind the stove
Induction cooking uses electromagnetic energy to heat compatible cookware directly. It can respond quickly when a cook adjusts the temperature, but a full-size range needs substantial power, especially when the cooktop and oven are in use. Many U.S. homes have a 120-volt outlet near a gas stove for its clock, light, or ignition, but may not have the dedicated 240-volt circuit a conventional electric range typically requires.
That difference can turn a simple appliance replacement into an expensive project. In a single-family home, adding a circuit might be manageable. In an apartment building, upgrading electrical service across many units can involve extensive work and coordination. This is especially challenging in older apartment buildings. Residents may rely on old gas systems that are costly for building owners to repair.
Copper’s approach is to put energy storage inside the appliance. The range can draw electricity through a standard outlet over time, store it in its battery, and use the stored energy when cooking requires more power than the outlet alone can supply. The battery also gives the range a source of power during an outage. Copper says Charlie’s onboard battery can support about three to five meals, depending on use.
The current Charlie range has a 5-kilowatt-hour battery. According to Copper, its latest model works with either a 120-volt or a 240-volt outlet and has four induction cooking zones, each rated at 3 kilowatts. Working with either outlet type makes the stove easier to install in a wider range of homes. Individual installation requirements still depend on the kitchen and outlet, so homeowners should review the specifications and consult a qualified installer.
A climate mission shaped by engineering
Calisch’s path to Copper combined engineering, climate work, and product development. He earned a master’s degree and PhD at MIT, where he studied manufacturing approaches that could use fewer materials and less energy. Before founding Copper, he helped start Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on electrifying homes and buildings. MIT reports that he also worked with U.S. Senate offices on the Inflation Reduction Act.
The company grew from a broader idea about the role household appliances could play in the energy system. Calisch and Saul Griffith explored how adding batteries to appliances could help expand energy storage while making it easier for households to adopt electric equipment. Rather than treating the stove and the grid as separate problems, Copper’s concept links them: the appliance needs stored energy for cooking, and the grid may benefit from having many small batteries distributed in homes.
Copper began with the kitchen range because it is a major source of power demand in the home and a central part of daily life. The company’s first product, Charlie, pairs the familiar form of a full-size range with induction cooking and an integrated battery. Copper says the appliance can preheat quickly and continue operating during a power outage, while its battery charges when electricity is cheaper or cleaner.
From a home appliance to a grid resource
The battery is useful to a cook, but its potential may extend beyond the kitchen. Electricity demand can rise sharply at certain times of day. If many battery-equipped appliances are connected and managed together, they could potentially shift some of their charging or provide energy services to the grid. That model is often called a virtual power plant: a network of distributed energy resources coordinated to support the larger electricity system.
Copper has tested this idea in California. MIT reported that the company piloted a program using its home batteries to provide power to the grid during periods of high demand, helping reduce reliance on gas-fired peaker plants. Copper’s goal is for the appliance network to support grid reliability and help offset the cost of electrification over time. The impact will depend on how these programs are designed, how utilities compensate participants, and how many appliances can be coordinated.
This is what makes Copper’s approach different from simply putting a backup battery in a stove. A stand-alone battery is mainly a household energy device. Copper is developing an appliance that performs a daily task and may also participate in a larger energy system. If the model works at scale, it could help make battery storage available in places where installing a large home battery would be difficult or too costly.
Reaching apartment buildings as well as homeowners
Copper sells Charlie directly to customers. It also focuses much of its business on building owners and organizations that manage large numbers of homes. Multifamily buildings can face a difficult combination: old gas pipes may need repairs, while electrical upgrades for every apartment can be expensive. A range that uses an existing outlet could offer another path, although building-specific electrical and safety requirements still need to be assessed.
In 2025, Copper announced a $28 million financing round to expand its operations and develop additional products. The company also said it had shipped nearly 1,000 ranges and had received a New York City Housing Authority contract for 10,000 units. MIT later reported the same agreement and described it as an opportunity to bring battery-powered ranges into public housing. These milestones show the company’s effort to serve both individual households and large building portfolios.
For residents, the everyday benefits are more immediate than grid services. Induction provides responsive heat and a smooth cooktop that is easier to wipe clean than many gas ranges. The battery lets you keep cooking during a power outage. For property owners, avoiding major electrical work could reduce the cost and disruption of replacing gas appliances in some buildings. Whether those advantages offset the appliance’s higher purchase price will depend on each home, installation, incentives, and the condition of existing infrastructure.
Scaling a new kind of appliance
Copper’s concept asks manufacturers, utilities, housing providers, and consumers to think about appliances in a new way. A stove with a built-in battery can store electricity gradually, then use that stored energy for cooking. This can reduce the power it needs from the grid while in use. This could help balance a home’s demand and create a role for appliances in the transition to electric homes.
The practical test is whether the technology can be produced, installed, and supported at a scale that makes sense for a broad range of households. Copper will need to keep refining its product, proving its performance in different homes, and building partnerships with installers and utilities. Its recent financing and housing projects offer a route to do that work, while its retail availability gives consumers another way to evaluate the range.
Conclusion
Sam Calisch and Copper are addressing a practical obstacle to home electrification: many kitchens are not ready for a conventional electric range without costly electrical work. Copper’s built-in battery aims to make switching to induction cooking easier. It can power the stove during an outage and may also help reduce demand on the electricity grid.
The idea is appealing because it meets an everyday need—cooking—while helping address broader energy challenges. Its success will depend on affordability, reliable installation, and performance across different homes and buildings. If Copper can meet those challenges, Charlie could help make induction cooking an option for more American households—without requiring every kitchen to start with a major renovation.
