The entry plug is injected into the Eva at a high speed.
SE <<Vashuuu>>
SEELE-01: I always wondered just how did Asuka activated the Entry Plug ejection, opening and re-insertion. Chapter 11 states that they needed diesel generators for doing so at Nerv (somewhat implying that the Eva's internal battery could not do so).
UrsusArctos: I'd forgotten about those! Episode 11's diesels were emergency generators used because the mains power was out. Perhaps Eva-02 simply used the Othello's onboard electrical power to operate the entry plug? There are quite a few coolant lines and cables running into the Eva, and it's quite conceivable that there's an electrical circuit that connects to the ship's onboard electrical power for starting up the Eva. Maybe the Othello, like Over the Rainbow, has enough onboard electrical energy installed to start up and operate an Eva, but didn't have an umbilical cable (which Misato ferried in). EDIT: I wonder if this is a feature of a "production-model Evangelion", see the Cut 127 comment.
