I Tried the Tesla of Induction Stoves. It Could Be the Future.

As Wirecutter’s resident range expert, I’m always blathering on about how much I like induction. Of the three possible heat sources for a cooktop—gas, radiant-electric, or induction—my testing shows that induction is far and away the best option for nearly any kind of cooking. It’s more consistent at low temperatures, it reaches higher temps faster, it stays cooler and cleaner, and it is nowhere near as pricey as it used to be.

The big problem is that a lot of people who want it just can’t get it: An induction cooktop or stove requires a 240-volt outlet, which many Americans do not already have in their kitchens.

Upgrading your kitchen’s electrical system is time-consuming and expensive. It can require thousands of dollars of electrical work, especially in older homes, and many hours of your time, much of it spent wrangling electricians or your electric utility provider. (Fun!) And some people who live in multi-unit apartment buildings aren’t allowed to do it anyway.

This is why a handful of startup appliance manufacturers with fashionable names like Copper and Impulse Labs have taken a cue from Tesla, working on battery-assisted induction ranges and cooktops that work like ordinary 240-volt stoves but can be plugged into nearly any old wall outlet.

This could be the holy grail of induction, as far as I’m concerned.

The very first of these ranges to make its way into home kitchens is the Copper Charlie stove. The company began shipping its $6,000 range in earnest in the fall of 2024.

I spent an afternoon in lower Manhattan testing Charlie #73, which had been installed in a SoHo loft the previous day. (And by “installed,” I mean the delivery crew dragged the old gas stove out, sealed the gas line, and plugged the Charlie into the 120-volt outlet that would have powered the oven light on the gas range.) All in all, I was seriously impressed by this stove.