Impulse Labs announced an interesting move this week just ahead of the big KBIS trade show next week, unveiling a modular power electronics platform designed to bring battery technology to a variety of home appliances. As part of the announcement, Impulse announced a strategic partnership with THOR Kitchen, the first of what the company hopes to be many partnerships with appliance manufacturer as it opens up its technology for others.
The idea behind Impulse (and others like Copper) is to put a big enough battery in your induction stove (and now other appliances) to enable you to not only install it without having to hire an electrician to rewire your home but also to create what is essentially a power wall-by-committee.
“If you think about your home like an energy ecosystem, appliances shouldn’t just be consuming power—they should be managing and storing it,” said D’Amico on The Spoon podcast. ” We’ve proven this with cooktops, but the potential is far bigger. Bit by bit, you fractionally build out a whole home battery solution from parts from individual appliances.”
And now, with its new platform and partnership with THOR, we’re starting to understand how big an idea it is. D’Amico and Impulse see a broad application for its platform, from ovens and refrigerators to washing machines and water heaters—each with the potential to reduce energy costs, enhance grid resilience, and simplify home electrification.
Impulse says the new platform leverages the ingredients for its Cooktop – a high-capacity battery storage, custom inverters, and precision temperature control – to offer up to 10kW per heating element, degree-level precision temperature control, ability to adapt to standard 120V or 240V circuits for straightforward setup, compatibility with a variety of international electrical standards, and resiliency to maintain functionality during power outages.
According to the announcement, the market for battery-integrated appliances is expanding rapidly, driven by advancements in smart home technology and the growing demand for energy independence. The U.S. Department of Energy (at least before January) has called for a fivefold increase in distributed energy resources, such as home batteries, by 2030 to meet energy efficiency and grid stability goals.
“Impulse’s battery-integrated Cooktop represents a leap forward in making home appliances not only tools, but also essential components to a holistic energy system,” said Kyle You, Managing Director at THOR.
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