The People Who Brought Us Qi2 Are Trying to Bring Wireless Charging to Kitchen Appliances

If your kitchen is a snake pit of electrical wiring, a team of tradesmen are working to eliminate your problems. The Wireless Power Consortium, known for creating the world’s standard for wireless charging for phones, has finalized a similar type of magnetic induction charger for kitchen appliances. called Ki. For people like me who live in small houses with little cooking space, there is hope in the form of Ki charging plates.

The Wireless Power Consortium based in New Jersey is an international group whose members include the world’s largest manufacturers of technology and electronics. The Consortium’s main claim to fame is the increase in Qi again Qi2 wireless charging standards. This is why you can buy third-party charging pads, now works with all (we’re looking at you, Google) but many mobile devices.

Ki is a similar idea, although this type of magnetic induction charger supports much higher currents, up to 2.2 kW. Paul Golden, WPC’s director of marketing, told Gizmodo at IFA 2024 in Berlin that they weren’t aware of anything operating on this scale that wouldn’t get enough power to the Ki standard. According to the group’s white paper, the standard should be acceptable for many sizes of appliances, from air fryers to blenders and even kettles. The devices meet the standard performance requirement with 90% or more efficiency as similar wired products. The Consortium says any loss of usable power from this wireless charging is “negligible.”

There are several advantages to this. For one, it reduces power cord clutter. It also means that power cord corrosion or shorts to any exposed wires are less dangerous. WPC says the Ki should still work properly if you accidentally spilled water on the charger. The Consortium further stated that the standard mandates that the surface or charging end of the device should not be too hot to touch. When you remove the device, the charging area remains warm, but not to the point where it is dangerous.

Like the Qi2, the Ki uses NFC communication to tell the charging unit how much juice to dispense. As we saw in the WPC demos, you need to place the material in the center of the charging plate. If your device is on or off, it won’t accept power or see the plate under it.

There is some flexibility with Ki. It can be built into a new range, including a Ki charge on one side and an induction stove on the other. Another option is portable charging stations that homeowners can place under their desks. It is rated to work up to 3.8 cm, or 1.4 inches of stone or artificial counter space. Of course, you’ll either have to remember where the hell you stuck your wireless charging pad under the counter or paint a big X to mark the spot yourself. Ki will not work on any metal countertops.

This technology is still new, and member companies still need to build the supporting technology into their scopes and electronics. Unless you’re sitting on a pile of cash or building a new home, you probably won’t see Ki-powered counters for a while. However, we’ll likely see single Ki pads, which are more like a single induction heater with a power cord, coming sooner rather than later. Even without the built-in Ki under your counter, these types of devices can reduce the mess of cables running in your kitchen. WPC told us it has created a prototype of that one Ki pad, though it didn’t show a demo in Berlin.

A movable plate may be more versatile than a table-top one. I’m not the only home cook who prefers to get everything his own I’m standing in place you are ready at the same time, although there is very little space to work. I like my food processor to be out of the way, so I can move it when needed.

We also need to wait for companies to come on board. Golden told us several companies were already working on creating their own Ki-enabled devices. First on board seems to be appliance maker Midea with its upcoming Celestial Flex series. That includes a blender, steamer, and kettle, though there’s no word yet on availability or price. I WPC showed a few other Ki-enabled designs from Philips, but those devices were test models and not ready for first-time use.

The WPC still needs to release details for this fall. Manufacturers can start sending products for testing at the end of 2024, so we may start seeing these products on the shelves soon.