Energous Gets FCC OK for Smaller Wireless Charging Transmitter; Stock Up
Energous got FCC Part 18 certification for an over-the-air wireless charging transmitter based on a single antenna and new chip components, said the company Tuesday. The stock closed up 156% at $2.68. The certification reflects a “completely new” technology, CEO…
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Steve Rizzone emailed Tuesday, contrasting it with the company’s first certification for wireless power received in 2017. That transmitter employed beamforming, multiple antennas to focus radio beams at a three-dimensional point in space. “Due to the use of several antennas required to beamform, the implementation was large and cost-prohibitive for many consumer electronic applications,” Rizzone said now. The new technology uses “a single antenna, single power amplifier and single control chip ... resulting in a much smaller design at a fraction of the cost of the larger, more powerful beamforming transmitter,” said the executive. “We’re imagining new products such as smart speakers and gaming consoles that can also wirelessly charge smartwatches, smart glasses, sensors and other IoT devices within range.” Citing uncertainties about the impact of COVID-19 and the bankruptcy filing of potential partner ZPower, Energous withdrew 2020 guidance of $1 million-$10 million in revenue that Rizzone projected on the company’s Q4 call. The companies showcased at CES their micro-battery wireless reference design aimed at small electronic devices such as hearing aids.