I interviewed Evatran back in August of 2010. It sounded like a good idea then, so I’m glad to see it coming to fruition. Below is from their website
Evatran, the developer of Plugless Power, is offering an incentive of up to 6 months of electric vehicle electricity to the first 500 customers to become part of it’s Preferred Customer Group
WYTHEVILLE, Va., Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Evatran today announced that it has opened it’s online Plugless Power product reservation system and is offering a $150 rebate card, which can be used to cover up to six months of electricity to recharge customers’ vehicles, as an incentive to encourage advanced reservations. The Preferred Customer Group will allow Evatran to understand it’s focus areas for product rollout and follows the recent news of the installation partnership with Sears Home Services. The incentive is open to the first 500 Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt reservations, and joining the Preferred Customer Group by reserving a system requires no upfront financial commitment.
The Plugless Power system allows a user to avoid the repetitive plug in and unplug process traditionally required by electric vehicle (EV) ownership. Instead, the recharging process involves a driver simply pulling into his regular parking space or garage. The wireless system automatically begins charging based on the vehicle’s requirements, which are communicated to the charging station over a wireless interface that mimics the corded SAE J1772 standard.
To use the system, the user must have his EV equipped with a small vehicle adapter that is mounted on the undercarriage of the car and is wired directly into the vehicle’s existing on-board battery charger. Although the vehicle is equipped for wireless charging, it retains it’s ability to recharge via corded options, as well. Retailers that will offer vehicle adapter installation services will be released in 2012.
No financial commitment is required for the reservation of a system, and the incentive will continue until the Preferred Customer Group reaches 500 Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt owners. The first 500 names on the reservation list will receive a rebate card for $150 “ the average electricity cost per mile across the United States ($.03/mile) for an average six-month mileage rate of 5,000 miles. The Preferred Customers will receive their rebate card when they complete the purchase process for their Plugless Power system later in 2012.
“With our online product reservation system opened, we can support our customers’ electric vehicle purchases by allowing them to reserve a convenient recharging system online,” said Rebecca Hough, COO of Evatran. “Come 2012, we will begin filling these reservations and our customers will have the added convenience of sending us their electricity bill for the first six months.”
Reservations for the wireless charging system will be filled starting in third quarter 2012 for Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt models. A specific geographic rollout plan will be announced later in 2012 based on responses to Evatran’s reservation system.
