Automakers and suppliers from around the world have agreed to a system that makes it possible to charge electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids without ever actually plugging them into a wall outlet.

Luxury vehicles like the $57,900 BMW 530e plug-in hybrid and $2 million McLaren Speedtail are ready for the system now, but expect more attainable EVs to offer it soon.

A technology to simplify using a product hardly anybody has, wireless charging for electric cars may initially look like the answer to a question nobody asked. But it’s the kind of convenience people get used to fast, making it easier to own and use vehicles that are becoming increasingly common.

More important, the SAE International engineers association got an “astoundingly large” group of automakers and suppliers to cooperate to develop the universal charging system, the first step in making it affordable and easy for drivers to use, according to Ky Seal, who led one of the SAE committees that created the standard.
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