I 'paid' $50 to drive around Singapore in Mercedes-Benz EVs – here’s what I did

What can you do with $50 in Singapore? In this current climate of inflation, $50 doesn't really go a long way.

But, at the very least, you could do something different with the money, aside from the usual dining and shopping. For $50, you could sign up for Mercedes-Benz's Mission: Electric event, where you test-drive the brand's lineup of electric vehicles (EVs), while going on a round-island adventure filled with activities involving chocolates, farm-fresh organic cuisine and remote-controlled racing cars.

Or at least, you could have.

The event is taking place over three weekends in late June and early July, but Mercedes-Benz said that response was so overwhelming that all the available slots were booked within hours of registration opening. So unfortunately, if you're thinking of joining in the action, you're just that little bit too late.

Nevertheless, Mercedes-Benz invited AsiaOne to a special media preview of the event, and myself (Ben), my colleague Lynette and our photographer Dennis went along to see what's what.

8.15am - Gather at Mercedes-Benz Center

The event runs for a total of eight days (June 21 to 23, 28 to 30, and July 6 to 7), and there are two sessions a day. The morning one starts from 8.15am and runs till about 1.30pm, while the afternoon session begins at 1pm and lasts till about 6.30pm.

For the media preview, we were given the morning session and so we had to gather at the Mercedes-Benz Center at Alexandra Road at 8.15am. I'm not really a morning person so it felt like a bit of an arduous task, but I was hoping the effort was worth it.

There was to be a briefing about the day's proceedings at around 8.45am, but before that we had the chance to hang around for a bit, enjoy the complimentary breakfast and coffee and check out the Mercedes-Benz models in the showroom, some of which we would be driving that day.

During the briefing, we were given a quick run-through about where we would be driving to and what we would be doing that day, as well as a short product presentation about Mercedes-Benz's EV models. To our surprise, there was also a quiz at the end of that presentation, with the winner offered the chance to have first dibs on which model to drive.

For the record, I was among the top three in the quiz and my first car of the day was the Mercedes EQE 300 saloon.

9.30am - Drive off towards Dempsey

With our cars assigned, we left the Mercedes-Benz Center at around 9.30am and headed towards our first stop, Dempsey, following the pre-programmed navigation route provided by the organisers.

It wasn't a straight and direct path to Dempsey though, as otherwise the journey would have been very short. Instead, the route took us down Pasir Panjang Road, before heading back up South Buona Vista Road, and then passing through Holland Road on the way towards our destination.

That stretch of South Buona Vista Road, also known locally among car enthusiasts here as "99 Bends", was a chance for us to explore the car's performance and handling abilities. Unfortunately, our drive up the windy and hilly stretch was impeded by a bus, so we couldn't exactly push the car to its limit. Nevertheless, it was a taster of what the car was capable of and we came away suitably impressed by the EQE's comfort and refinement.

10am - Arrive at Mr Bucket Chocolaterie

Our first pitstop of the day was Mr Bucket Chocolaterie, whose Dempsey outlet serves as both a shop and a factory where they develop unique chocolate creations using sustainably sourced cacao from Asia.

Mr Bucket, which is inspired by the main character (Charlie Bucket) in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, crafts their creations using a bean-to-bar concept, using cacao beans that are ethically sourced directly from farms.

The entire process, from harvesting the beans to hand-crafting the chocolates, is overseen by Mr Bucket themselves, and this ensures transparency and consistent quality throughout.

As the staff was explaining to us about their chocolate-making process, we were treated to a specially curated tasting set. The set consisted of four chocolate creations and a curious-looking drink, served together on a platter.

I'm not going to go through all of them in the interest of time, but the standout ones were the White Peach Cacao Husk Tea and the Salted Egg Potato Chip Chocolate Bar.

The tea had a familiar initial peach flavour but then had a very surprisingly robust cacao aftertaste right at the end, which is something you don't expect from a drink. The salted egg chocolate bar meanwhile carried a bit of spice, again only emerging at the end, and while it wasn't immediately evident, it seemed like it contained bits of chilli, which gave it quite a kick.

Chocolate tasting done; it was time to head to our next stop.

11am - Drive off towards Kranji

Our next leg of the journey would see us take a long, leisure drive from Dempsey to Kranji, up in the far northern part of Singapore.

Or so we thought.

For this part of the drive, we were given the opportunity to swap cars and I quickly grabbed the keys to the Mercedes-AMG EQE 43. Now, this is essentially a more powerful version of the EQE saloon we drove earlier and the petrolhead in me was simply eager to unleash its performance.

With 476hp and 858Nm of torque, the AMG EQE 43 is truly a monstrous beast and the car can go from 0-100km/h in just 4.2 seconds. More than just pure speed, however, what cars like the AMG EQE 43 demonstrate is that electric motoring need not be boring and can be exciting for the keen enthusiast too.

Of course, in Singapore, there are not many places where you can fully exploit a performance car's potential. But the beauty of a less-visited location like Kranji is that there are pockets of spaces which allow you to open the taps - even if it's ever so briefly.

Once you put your foot down in the AMG EQE 43, the sheer power that's unleashed is simply breathtaking. Of course, there are many EVs that can accelerate quickly, but it's the sensation you get from behind the wheel that truly makes the difference. From the way it delivers its speed, to the aural experience (albeit artificial), you get the sense that the AMG EQE 43 is not just any ordinary fast EV.

Perhaps as a result of my 'enthusiastic' driving, we ended up being the first to arrive at our next stop, GardenAsia.

11.20am - Arrive at GardenAsia

Our primary reason for being at GardenAsia was lunch but there were also a couple of activities for us to check out at this nature-oriented farm experience, which is not something you come across often in Singapore.

First though, we filled our tummies with a sumptuous meal at the bistro and one of the main courses, the Pan Seared Red Snapper Fillet, consisted entirely of ingredients sourced from local farms.

Then for dessert, we were presented with three ice cream flavours, all of them green, and we had to guess what their flavours were. Let's just say our table enjoyed the kale coconut ice cream the most and were rather more averse to the round spinach and arugula oat flavours.

Following lunch, we checked out the mobile EV-charging demonstration, conducted in collaboration with P.Up. The company is Singapore's first mobile EV-charging provider and works with brands like Mercedes-Benz to provide portable EV-charging to customers.

Essentially, if you find your EV low on charge and some distance away from a charger, you can give P.Up a call (minimum three hours' notice) and they will come to you in one of their vans. Each van contains a 50kWh mobile charger that can juice up an EV's battery to 80 per cent charge in under an hour (depending on model).

Our next challenge saw us unleash our inner child, as we competed against each other with mini remote-controlled racing cars around the track. It was supposed to be a competition to see who clocked the fastest time, but we all had so much fun that the competitive element pretty much went out the window.

Lunch and games done, it was time to head back to the Mercedes-Benz Center.

1.30pm - Drive back to Mercedes-Benz Center

We did overstay our lunch stop quite a bit, so we had to make up time as we headed back to the Mercedes-Benz Center. I found myself separated from the team as Mercedes-Benz needed a spare driver. Therefore, Lynette and Dennis drove back on their own and the following paragraphs are Lynette's impressions.

Lynette: For the ride back, a switcheroo happened - I, a total EV noob, took over the wheel of the EQB 250 Progressive.

Coming from the AMG EQE 43 as a passenger, the EQB 250's SUV body style made me feel like a football mum driving her kids to practice. Not that I have any kids, but its stability, quietness and efficiency would surely be welcomed by families.

The acceleration is smooth and instantaneous, thanks to the electric motor's 385Nm of torque. Still, as an EV novice, the regenerative braking's aggressive loss of speed when I eased off the accelerator pedal shocked me a little.

Manoeuvring through city traffic and cruising on highways felt effortless, with the car responding promptly to every command. The ride too was very comfortable - so comfortable in fact that our photographer Dennis even fell asleep in the front seat.

Fiddling with the buttons on the steering wheel, I tried switching between the three driving modes - Eco, Comfort and Sport - and I have to say that the Sport mode was my favourite as it firms up the steering and quickens acceleration by quite a fair bit.

Driving on the speed-limited Eco setting does mean you can get up to 569km on a full charge, according to Mercedes-Benz. But in reality, it would probably be around 400km before it will need some juices if you're driving it normally without engaging Eco mode.

For someone entirely new to electric vehicles, the EQB's user-friendly features, impressive range and overall driving experience make it an excellent entry point into electric motoring and it is definitely worth a test drive.

2pm - Arrive at Mercedes-Benz Center

We ended the programme with some reflections and new insights on how EVs truly fit into the Singaporean lifestyle.

For example, Claudius Steinhoff, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Singapore, shared with us over lunch that Singaporeans feedback that the charging time at public chargers is too fast for their needs.

This is because most Singaporeans would charge their EVs at shopping malls, where they would spend a couple of hours at least, but a fast DC charger would be able to charge up a newer EV model in around half an hour. This means that customers have to interrupt their plans to go and unplug their cars and find another place to park.

The key to resolving this involves education and adaptation. Steinhoff notes that there are now more publicly available AC chargers, which charge the car at a slower rate than a DC charger. He suggests that EV owners can plan and use the right form of charging accordingly based on their schedule and needs, with DC used for quick charges and AC for longer periods away.

It is tidbits like these that Mercedes-Benz aims to impart through events like Mission: Electric, not just to EV drivers and customers, but also to those who are curious about EVs in general. Along with the fun activities on offer, it certainly is a meaningful use of $50.

ALSO READ: Audi launches Q4 e-tron in Singapore with an extremely attractive price tag

benjamin.chia@asiaone.com

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