Safety standards for battery-equipped stoves don’t yet exist. Batteries in stoves are so new, the safety-certification group UL Solutions, which develops testing certifications for cooking appliances for the US, has not yet updated its existing electric-range standards for testing them. (UL Solutions said that it is leading a task group that is working on that process now. The group includes representatives from new manufacturers like Copper, as well as other industry groups such as the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.) These certifications are not legally required for appliances, and plenty of ranges sold do not have them, but the majority of electrical appliances we recommend do.
Calisch told me that even though the Charlie was not eligible for UL electric-range certification, the range was tested to the same standards to make sure that the cooktop and oven would operate safely. And the battery itself has been certified to two UL Solutions standards: UL 1973, which covers batteries used for auxiliary power, and UL 9540A, which evaluates for “thermal runaway,” or when a chain reaction quickly creates high heat and can lead to flames or explosions. (This is most often what happens in fires caused by e-bikes, which use a kind of lithium-ion battery. In many of those fires, the New York City Fire Department has said, the batteries were likely being charged incorrectly or were cheaper batteries without UL certification.)
Copper said that it also consulted with the New York City Fire Department to ensure that the Charlie’s battery compartment and the range itself were safely designed. (This consultation was required by the New York City Housing Authority and the New York Power Authority, which will award Copper a contract to manufacture 10,000 stoves similar to the Charlie for public housing once Copper completes its testing and pilot phases.) The battery compartment is designed to reduce the risk of thermal runaway fires, said Calisch. The components are physically separated and built with both a steel barrier and an air gap between the oven compartment and the battery components. The compartment also uses the same types of insulation, he said, that prevent oven heat from breaching the walls and setting your kitchen cabinets on fire.
Around 300 Charlie models have been in use in homes for nearly a year, and many have been in beta testing for far longer. The company expects 1,000 units to be in homes by the spring of 2025. Copper connected me with one owner who had used both the beta and Charlie models, and he had no issues.
It’s expensive. The stainless steel base model of this stove costs $6,000, which is a significant investment for a range. (The white and blue finish options cost more.) For now, anyone who buys a battery-equipped appliance like the Charlie is eligible for a 30% battery-storage technology tax credit on the cost of the range, which can lower the final price to about $4,200. (The credit is deducted from your tax bill once you file your federal taxes.) For comparison, the most affordable induction ranges in a style similar to the Charlie can occasionally be found on sale for around $800.
But the Charlie could potentially cost less than even the cheapest range if you also need to upgrade your kitchen’s electrical panel and wiring—a project that can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $9,000, according to the federal government’s estimates. (There are federal rebates and some tax credits available to cover the costs, but those primarily apply to people with lower incomes.)
Considering its high-quality design, the Charlie is also on a par price-wise with other midtier premium ranges we have evaluated, which often cost about the same as (or more than) induction models, all of which still require a 240-volt outlet.
It lacks some basic features. The Charlie has a true convection oven but lacks the oven features that come standard on much cheaper ranges, such as air-fry or pizza mode, a self-clean setting, or even a basic timer. (These omissions may not be dealbreakers for everyone; most people don’t take full advantage of such modes.) Calisch said that some of these features could be added and downloaded to ovens later, because the Charlie is Wi-Fi–enabled.
Small, new manufacturers pose a risk, and getting service could be a pain. This is a new product from a small, recently debuted, and largely untested company. For now, the Charlie is available only directly from the Copper website, and you don’t have as many service techs or sales and distribution points at your disposal as you would with a bigger brand. Copper’s service and support operates like that of most smaller appliance manufacturers in that the company works with national and local third-party service providers. Copper also has a phone number, email address, and web form for reaching support, but it does not offer assistance outside of working hours. The Charlie has a two-year warranty (one year longer than most), but there is no guarantee that the company will still exist in a decade.
It is harder to get. You’re likely to wait several months at a minimum before you can get a Charlie range because of high demand for a relatively small amount of stock. For now, Copper estimates that most stainless steel Charlie ranges purchased in late 2024 in the contiguous United States will be delivered in March 2025, and that blue and white models will be delivered in May 2025. (Residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, where the ranges are assembled, will receive them more quickly, and for now, shipping is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.)
It is not certified by Energy Star. The Charlie range does not currently have Energy Star certification, which means that it is not eligible for federal electric-appliance rebate programs.
