Electric car owners could soon be able to charge them by plugging them into street lamps.

The idea is going to be tested in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and Docklands areas of Dublin first.

The Environment Minister, Denis Naughten, hopes the scheme could be rolled out to lamp-posts in other areas.

He said the objective is to see how it works and see what the challenges and issues are.

Minister Naughten says many people are living in apartments and don't have driveways and as electric cars become more commonplace, people are going to need better access to charging points.