ZoneCharge News — On July 14, Paul Struhsaker, Executive Director of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), and Olivia, Head of Asia-Pacific, visited ZoneCharge for inspection and exchange. Mr. Li, Chairman of Zone Charge, together with the core management team, warmly received the guests. The two sides held a productive in-depth dialogue on the implementation of the Ki Cordless Kitchen standard, the industrialization of cordless kitchen appliances, and global market layout.

This visit was not only a high recognition of Zone Charge’s technological strength, but also an important stop for WPC in promoting the global implementation of the Ki standard, especially in the Chinese market.

Industry Leader Visits, Witnessing Strong “Cordless” Capabilities

Paul Struhsaker is not only the helmsman of WPC, but also a legendary figure in the global wireless communications field. He once served as Chairman of the IEEE 802.11b Standard Working Group and Vice Chairman of 802.16, and held senior executive positions at technology giants such as Dell, Motorola, and AMD. He holds more than 60 wireless and IoT patents. His visit not only recognizes ZoneCharge’s years of deep cultivation in the cordless kitchen field, but also affirms the position of Chinese companies in the global wireless power landscape.

Strong Technological Alignment, Mass Production Leads the Standard

During the talks, the two sides focused on the Ki Cordless Kitchen standard launched by WPC. As stated in the WPC white paper, the Ki standard aims to end the era of “tangled cables” in the kitchen. Through magnetic induction technology, it hides the transmitter under the countertop to power various kitchen appliances (up to 2.2 kW)

Compared with traditional kitchen appliances, the Ki Cordless Kitchen offers significant advantages:

Ultimate convenience: breaks the limitation of socket locations; appliances can be used as soon as they are placed, freeing up countertop space;

Cross-brand interoperability: following a Qi-style open standard, consumers only need to look for the Ki logo to freely mix and match transmitters and appliances from different brands;

Top-level safety: equipped with multiple safety mechanisms such as foreign object detection (FOD), power-off upon removal, and anti-scald protection. Liquid spills do not affect operation, completely eliminating the risk of electric shock;

High efficiency and energy savings: energy conversion efficiency exceeds 90% of that of comparable wired products.

Hans Kablau, Chairman of the WPC Ki Working Group, once commented: “Ki is one of the most influential kitchen innovations since the microwave oven.”

ZoneCharge: Early Deployment, Aligning with the Standard

As a dedicated player in the wireless power industry, Zone Charge has long been committed to the R&D and innovation of cordless kitchen technology. The company has now formed a complete cordless kitchen appliance wireless power product matrix, covering wireless blenders, rice cookers, induction cookers, etc., and has achieved volume shipments.

In response to the release of the Ki standard, ZoneCharge has demonstrated strong alignment and foresight. The company is actively planning to fully align its product line with the Ki standard, aiming to provide global consumers with wireless kitchen appliance solutions that both comply with international standards and deliver an outstanding user experience.

Paul spoke highly of ZoneCharge’s achievements in the productization process. He pointed out:

“ZoneCharge is ahead of the curve in the cordless kitchen segment. Your volume shipments provide invaluable real-world data for the industry. We strongly encourage ZoneCharge to join WPC and help us accelerate the establishment of the Ki standard. The global small appliance market is vast, and the demand for a tangle-free kitchen is huge, especially overseas. By working together to scale the market, we will drive down costs, making the cordless kitchen accessible to millions of households worldwide.”

Overseas Markets + Cost Reduction: Cordless Kitchen Moves into Millions of Homes

Paul also shared WPC’s judgment on the global kitchen appliance market: as the overseas small appliance market continues to flourish, the kitchen format of “place-and-use, no tangled wires” has very clear user appeal in markets such as Europe and the United States—this is exactly the scenario the Ki standard is designed to address.

He further pointed out that once industry collaboration expands the market pie, economies of scale will drive costs down rapidly. The cordless kitchen will gradually move from high-end scenarios to ordinary households, and “entering millions of homes” is not a distant prospect.

Mr. Li said that ZoneCharge is willing to act as a first mover, feeding back to the Ki Working Group the interoperability data, safety mechanisms, and practical experience from Chinese kitchen scenarios—high power, thick countertops, and the coexistence of multiple appliance categories—accumulated during mass production, so as to make the standard better fit real household use. At the same time, the company looks forward to working with WPC and global home appliance partners to bring the cordless kitchen from China to the world.

About WPC and the Ki Standard

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is the world’s largest wireless power standards organization. Its Qi standard already covers low-power scenarios such as mobile phones and earphones, with more than 800 globally certified products. Ki Cordless Kitchen is its new standard for high-power kitchen scenarios, supporting up to 2.2 kW. It has been included in the cooperation ecosystem by industry chain companies such as Philips, E.G.O., Jabil, Midea, and WMF.