The Ki Cordless Kitchen standard – which covers everyday kitchen appliances such as blenders, toasters, air fryers, and water kettles – eliminates power cords and adds a communication channel between the appliance and the Ki power unit. The Ki power function will initially be available in induction cooktops or standalone Ki power units. Future Ki releases in development are aimed at adding support for concealed Ki power units mounted under countertops or kitchen islands.
“The Ki standard brings unprecedented innovation to the most used room in the house - the kitchen,” said Paul Struhsaker, executive director of the WPC. “Ki eliminates the mess, inconvenience and potential safety issues of power cords, which is something consumers have told us repeatedly is an important benefit. Ki will not only change the way people cook and prepare food by making cooking and clean up easier, but it will even change the way kitchens look, enabling sleek modern designs and better utilization of space.”
Following the release of the Ki specification last December, advancing Ki Cordless Kitchen products through certification testing represents a significant milestone in the launch of the WPC’s newest standard in the application of wireless power. Ki’s launch follows the launch of Qi2, WPC’s highly successful next-generation standard for small consumer electronics, which was available in over 1.5 billion devices worldwide by the end of its first year.
The WPC congratulated Elektro-Gerätebau Oberderdingen GmbH (EGO), Koninklijke Philips NV, Telecommunications Technology Association of Korea (TTA), Resillion (Belgium), and Defion BV for leading the way in Ki’s launch.