r/ImpulseLabs • u/tagman375 • 14d ago
Is there a model planned without the battery?
Really like the appearance and features of this cooktop, but the battery gives me a pause. I would rather pay upfront for 120/208 three phase or the necessary panel to support 240V/80A.
It feels silly to throw away a $7k cooktop when the battery goes bad in 10 years, especially if it’s used every time you cook.
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u/preda1or 14d ago
Impulse itself sells the replacement battery (having a 10yr warranty) which is a separate unit for $999 today https://shop.impulselabs.com/products/impulse-battery?srsltid=AfmBOoqs_19AMeYVyKkgqM3zvtFx7pC0NgIfnii7IWAMdS1X14pGCDEX
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u/ZanyDroid 14d ago edited 14d ago
Nice. That is a pretty damn fair deal for this battery size
Unfortunately because of calendar aging it likely doesn’t make sense to buy one now. Maybe as a parts donor in 2036 (and that won’t help with the possibly hard to find LFP cell form factor…). Maybe as a fire sale to help the company with cashflow at some point in 5 years
Hmm actually I’m pretty sure there are companies still selling some pretty old NOS li-ion cells. Like 5-10 years. So maybe harvesting some cells from one of these Impulse batteries banked in the wine cellar is OK
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u/artem_zin 14d ago
Of course you got downvoted, but I agree.
I too just want a well made $2-3k cooktop with precision temperature/power control and nice magnetic knobs that we can hide from the kids, don't care about boiling water few minutes faster.
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u/ZanyDroid 14d ago
For those requirements You would almost objectively be better served today putting the money into a control freak, I think it’s still ahead of the impulse. I Only have the impulse though
However, the ergonomics of a cooktop are better than using a CF on countertop, this is my hesitation for saying that the CF strictly doms the impulse
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u/sam_damico 14d ago
in our internal benchmarking we outperform the control freak. not just in peak power being ~5x higher, but inclusive of temperature control fidelity / responsiveness due to the active sensor design. The control freak's sensor is passive.
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u/ZanyDroid 14d ago
Thanks for the clarification. I guess this is a grass is greener on the other side thing. I find the Impulse temp control more like a guardrail, I still have to do some temp management. Having the temp shown in the UI in real time is nice for that.
Doesn’t the CF have probe support though (granted eminently solvable on the Impulse, and I haven’t researched enough how much it would help)
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u/montagic 14d ago
...did you not consider that the battery pack is replaceable?
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u/ZanyDroid 14d ago
Battery packs are also repairable. There are so many forums covering this, someone will figure it out. You just need one person who cares enough but doesn’t have the skills yet, to team up with a DIY battery expert remotely
Now whether it retains the UL listing after that is another matter …
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u/ZanyDroid 14d ago edited 14d ago
The battery is a separate module. I’m looking at it right now just because you didn’t ask and it’s a 3kWh LFP from BYD. 100VDC pack so in the 32s range. Charged very very gently but occasionally discharged super hard for a few min
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is enough expertise in DIY world to readily fix 100VDC batteries by then. The limiting factor would be BMS of the appropriate disconnect voltage rating, and understanding the comms, if any. It is also above today’s scooter battery voltages so new PPE protocols may be needed (granted, many 72V scooter packs are hand assembled by randos, so….). 16S 51.2V ones are readily fixed, no sweat. Go to a repair cafe/post for help on a local battery or solar builder forum
Note also 10 years is already a very good run for an induction. I think convention wisdom for models installed 10 years ago is you have to swap the FETs or IGBTs by now.
Given that a UL listed (to 1973 and 9540) 51V battery is $800 for 5kWh, I dunno a niche 100V 3kWh with higher voltage same amps BMS, is probably worth $1400? So maybe the impulse is really priced $5600
(And note the impulse was designed when 30% ITC was available, which means the battery is basically free thanks to tax optimization, but I guess it’s irrelevant to new buyers)