--- description: Find out why Energy Vault EVx is one of the best inventions of 2024 title: Energy Vault EVx: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f83702275e9cdf4/698a8a24db29873656270c84/rudong-evx-gravity-energy-storage-system-best-inventions.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 30, 2024 # Using the Power of Gravity by [Micheline Maynard](/author/micheline-maynard/) ## Micheline Maynard Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Solar and wind energy are renewable, but rely on the weather. Energy Vault’s EVx Gravity Energy Storage System instead employs massive blocks, which, after being raised, store the energy that went into lifting them, and when lowered, release that energy when it’s needed. The ever-present pull of gravity amounts to a natural battery that can provide short-, medium-, or long-term storage, says CEO Rob Piconi. "It's resilient to harsh weather conditions and high temperatures, and since the energy is produced inside the structure, there is no risk of chemical fires,” he says. In May, the company connected its first commercial project to a grid in China, and announced a partnership with architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to design skyscrapers that incorporate the system, potentially providing a way buildings can act as their own emergency generators. These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094811/energy-vault-evx/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094811/energy-vault-evx/"},"headline":"Energy Vault EVx: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024","datePublished":"2024-10-30T11:19:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T11:54:32.143Z","description":"Find out why Energy Vault EVx is one of the best inventions of 2024","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094811/energy-vault-evx/","keywords":["Tech","E-Commerce","list","franchise","Magazine","best inventions"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f83702275e9cdf4/698a8a24db29873656270c84/rudong-evx-gravity-energy-storage-system-best-inventions.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Micheline Maynard","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/micheline-maynard/"}],"creator":"Micheline Maynard","articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4f83702275e9cdf4/698a8a24db29873656270c84/rudong-evx-gravity-energy-storage-system-best-inventions.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2024/7094811/energy-vault-evx/","name":"Energy Vault EVx: the 200 Best Inventions of 2024"}}]}] ```