Though the system operates without plugs or cables, it's not exactly "wireless" -- rather, it works through proximity induction charging, in which a charge flows over a small air space when the two charging components are close enough to each other.

Those two components consist of one part attached to an electric vehicle's bumper, and the other on the ground next to a control tower. The driver needs simply to pull up to the unit (perfect parking not required) and the Plugless Power station automatically starts the recharging process. (Owners would need to get an adapter installed and linked to their vehicle's onboard battery charger in order for the two parts of the system to play nice.)

While proximity induction does have a downfall in terms of efficiency -- currently, the system loses about 20 percent during energy transfer -- Evatran thinks it can cut that loss in half in time for its first production-ready units to debut in 2011.