Evari, a New Hampshire-based startup, debuts a cutting-edge heat pump technology inspired by rocket science, aiming to revolutionize electric vehicles’ range and home heating systems.
The company’s innovative turbo-powered heat pumps utilize advanced technology to bridge temperature differentials effectively, potentially transforming various industries reliant on traditional heating and cooling methods.
Off a secluded highway in the woodlands of New Hampshire, a team of engineers at Evari was quietly developing groundbreaking heat pump technology, drawing inspiration from the aerospace industry.
Emerging from stealth mode on Tuesday, March 26 Evari unveiled its core technology centered around rocket turbomachinery, with ambitious goals of extending the range of electric vehicles while phasing out reliance on natural gas for home heating.
Heat pumps use electricity to shuttle thermal energy from one place to another, and they tend to be a lot more efficient than traditional heating.
In the case of home heating, they extract heat from the outside air and transport it inside to keep its occupants warm. In a refrigerator, they take heat away from the internal compartment to keep food cool.
Despite their potential, global adoption of heat pumps has not kept pace with climate targets, with many regions still heavily dependent on fossil fuels for heating.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), significant portions of the world have yet to embrace air-source heat pumps due to their limitations in extreme temperatures. Most areas still favor natural gas or heating oil, necessitating a cost-effective alternative that performs reliably in severe weather conditions.
Steve Walker, Evari’s co-founder and CEO, highlighted the current shortcomings, stating, “No heat pump on the market can do that at any temperature, let alone really cold temperatures.”
Yet that’s exactly the kind of system Evari will eventually target. Its turbomachinery excels when there’s a large temperature differential it has to bridge.
Unlike traditional heat pumps, which struggle in frigid conditions, Evari’s innovation excels in extracting heat even in the harshest environments, potentially transforming home heating systems and electric vehicle efficiency.
Evari hasn’t disclosed its target market yet, but Walker did say that it’s targeting transportation first.
Notably, the company’s turbo-powered heat pumps utilize environmentally friendly refrigerants like propane with minimal global warming potential, avoiding the use of oils for lubrication, which can compromise efficiency across varying temperatures.
The implications of Evari’s technology extend beyond residential heating and cooling, with potential applications spanning industrial processes, transportation, and commercial refrigeration.
Backed by a $7.5 million seed round, Evari advanced significantly in its development, mitigating technical risks and positioning itself for rapid growth.
Evari’s Cost-Effective Turbo-Compressors and Silent Operation
According to Steve Walker, the manufacturing process for Evari’s compressors will likely be costlier than existing designs, but they should be cheaper overall because they require less in the way of materials. “Less than 5% of the copper and rare earth materials, for instance, for the same amount of cooling or heating output,” he said.
The startup’s turbocompressors range in size from as small as a dime to slightly larger than a quarter. Despite spinning at hundreds of thousands of revolutions per minute, they’re nearly silent and vibration-free, he added.
Walker funded the early stages of development out of pocket, tapping a modest windfall he earned from the sale of a previous startup he founded that turned waste wood into fuel.
Moreover, Evari finds itself well-aligned with evolving US industrial policies, including initiatives to bolster domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.
With increasing government support and an increasing market demand for sustainable heating solutions, Evari is poised to capitalize on the convergence of these pivotal trends, provided it can swiftly transition its technology from development to production.
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