The Government has signed a deal with the major car manufacturer Renault-Nissan to bring electric vehicles to the Irish market.
The Government wants 250,000 cars and vans - or 10% of the national fleet - to be electric within a decade, with the first batch to come inside the next two years.
The Government hopes that by boosting renewable energies, like wind, and improving the electricity grid, the introduction of electric cars will lead to a significant drop in carbon emissions in the transport sector.
To achieve that goal, Energy Minister Eamon Ryan has reach an agreement with the merged French-Japanese car maker on providing vehicles to Ireland - both for business and the private user.
'Today's initiative will transform our streets, will cut carbon emissions and change the face of transport in Ireland,' Minister Eamon Ryan said, and added that he hopes to sign similar agreements with other auto manufacturers.
The ESB is going to be party to the deal, and will provide a network of recharging points, although the vehicles can also be powered at home.
Renault has said it wants to sell 20,000 to 40,000 electric cars in 2011, while Nissan has not disclosed a target.
Electric vehicles are meant to be cheaper to run than regular cars and cut down carbon dioxide emissions.
Other car manufacturers will be watching closely to see how today's deal impacts on their business plans.
