EV naming competition winners

We called on youngsters from across the District to come up with sparky names to suit our two new electric vehicles and now we’re delighted to announce the winning suggestions. 

Our electric street sweeper will be called Starshine Sweepalot thanks to five-year-old Esme Walton-Wright, while our converted bin lorry will be known as Bin Richard the 3rd, courtesy of Tabitha Tame, aged eight. 

The two titles were chosen by Councillors Les Philimore and Cheryl Cashmore from the dozens of entries in our EV naming competition. 

Winners, Esme who attends Greenfield Primary in Countesthorpe and Tabitha, a pupil at Huncote Primary, will receive a Lego replica of the vehicle they named. The vehicles themselves will proudly sport the names as part of their Blaby District Council EV livery. 

The competition, which closed on Friday 6 December, was open to school-age children and offered a fun challenge as well as highlighting the Council’s commitment to improving air quality with ambitions for a zero-emission fleet. 

Councillor Cashmore, Portfolio Holder for Climate and Councillor Phillimore, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, had a tough decision choosing the winning names from the imaginative and quirky entries. 

The winners have been notified and a prize presentation ceremony is being planned. 

Our electric sweeper is already doing the rounds while the bin lorry is expected to be on the streets early in 2025. 

Both vehicles were made possible thanks to £573,701 funding received in 2023 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) Air Quality Grant. Part was used to purchase the sweeper while the rest went on an electric conversion kit for a diesel bin lorry. 

Air Quality Grants aim to support local authorities in tackling pollutants including fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. This can create a healthier environment for everyone.   

The new vehicles will be used across the District but predominantly in the Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs). The AQMAs feature major traffic routes and dense populations with air pollutant levels higher than government-set targets. 

Councillor Les Phillimore
Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services

Councillor Cheryl Cashmore
Portfolio Holder for Climate