Mission: Electric 2025 was about making memories
14 Apr 2025|1,047 views
On paper, this year's Mission: Electric event seemed like an extended session for participants to try out Mercedes-Benz Singapore's entire fleet of electric vehicles. The brand claims that with 15 models (variants included), it has the widest range of EVs of any car brand in Singapore.
Driving all 15 cars in one morning, however, was impossible and Mercedes knew this. So, each team would instead be assigned three models, with the two swaps occurring at the two destinations. Along the way, each team would complete missions for points, and the top team would win a prize.
Having heard about how extensive the 2024 edition was, I expected our team to face 10 missions like my colleagues did last year. But I was shocked to learn that we only had five missions to accomplish. Was waking up early to reach the start point at the Mercedes-Benz Centre by 8am even worth it?
The cool and rainy weather made the hot coffee taste even better
A slow start
Mornings are tough for most people, as evidenced by the low-energy vibe and bleary-eyed faces of both participants and organisers. The gloomy and rainy weather only served to make us long for our beds and blankets.
But as cheery "Good Mornings" were exchanged and strong cups of coffee were consumed, the mood began to lift. Smiles emerged as media friends greeted one another and began catching up. Suddenly, the lack of sleep no longer felt as bad as it did an hour ago.
These days, a smartphone is all that's needed to unlock the vehicle and view your objectives
After registration, our team of three was assigned an iPhone, which also served as the digital key to an EQS450+, the first car we would drive. We were also given a 20-megapixel camera from Paper Shoot. This retrolicious, film-inspired digital camera is housed between two 'paper boards'. It can be recharged via a USB-cable, which also enables you to transfer photos to your phone or computer.
To shoot, I was told to press and hold the shutter button until I heard a confirmation sound. Upon releasing it, I would hear another shutter click, which meant that the photo was taken. The viewfinder itself was just a square cut-out on the body.
Marcel Mustelier Perez, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Singapore, welcomed participants and told them to have fun
Using it felt exciting because until the photos could be downloaded, you had no idea what they looked like. The anticipation I felt was like waiting for a roll of film to be developed.
Once the briefing was done, we hopped into the EQS450+ and took an in-car selfie (one of our missions) before I drove us to Gardens by the Bay, our first destination. There, we finished several more missions, which included taking a group photo with our car, taking a photo of an ice-cream sandwich, and posing with a Supertree.
The heavy rain did not stop our intrepid videographer from completing the photo missions
Grins and whims
Honestly, chronicling our journey by making an album is not a challenge. But perhaps that was never the aim. We had spent the past 20 minutes just enjoying each other's company without talking about work or planning the next activity on the list. That was refreshing.
We felt even more refreshed as my colleague, Zhi Xuan, took the wheel of the brisk EQE43 AMG and gleefully allowed the car's 469bhp and 858Nm of torque to come to the fore, as we sped towards our next stop: Wheeler's Estate in Seletar.
The powerful EQE43 AMG has all-wheel drive, which came in handy in the wet conditions
The conversation between him, myself, and Mickie, our videographer, flowed easily. We talked about going cycling and wished the weather would hold (it was raining heavily at Gardens by the Bay). We loudly delighted in having a long weekend, thanks to the upcoming Good Friday public holiday.
At Wheeler's Yard, we had to take one last picture (with the famous trailer) and participate in a scavenger hunt to search for a Mercedes-Benz star. Finding a silver star would net the team five points, but getting the elusive gold star was worth 10.
However, despite the organisers repeatedly telling us the stars could only be found "on structures" and "would never be on the ground", a journalist found the elusive gold star under a traffic cone. Him and his team deservedly won the day. But was the miscommunication unintentional or on purpose? The question lingered in our minds.
If you can find this elusive gold star, your team will be awarded 10 points
Home stretch
Before we could ponder the issue further, our team swapped to the third and last car, an EQB250+. Mickie took over driving duties, while I used her work phone to record clips for our IG account. Along the way, the three of us exchanged more stories and shared even more laughs.
Back at the Mercedes-Benz Centre, we were shown how useful the Mercedes app could be for Mercedes EV owners. Apart from being able to pre-cool the vehicle's interior and push destinations to the navigation system, the app can now be used to initialise charging.
Mercedes-Benz EV owners can look forward to more convenient charging options in the future
Thanks to tie-ups with SP Mobility, Charge+, and Keppel Volt, owners can use the Mercedes app to scan the QR codes on the providers' chargers, instead of trying to find the specific app for each one. It's set to become more convenient, too, as Mercedes says it plans to partner with other providers in the future.
The penultimate activity was a slot car race. Uniquely, however, the cars would be powered by one's legs: Each team would send a member to ride a stationary bicycle, which would turn pedal power into electrical power. The catch, of course, was that pedalling too fast would result in the slot car flying off the track as it rounded the corners!
Looking ahead
On paper, we only got to drive three models - 20 percent of Mercedes' entire EV range. We had two stops, a scavenger hunt, and spent a lot of time taking pictures with the Paper Shoot camera. The 'missions' themselves were not difficult, and the only thing we wanted at the end of the event was a hearty lunch. Perhaps next year.
At the end of the day, what really mattered was the camaraderie that was reinforced. Apart from working well as a team, the stories and laughs were what ultimately made our shared experience a memorable one.
Would I go again if I was assigned next year? Well, if waking up early means being able to enjoy a team bonding session out of the office and in the company of some cool cars, sign me up. And remind me to set my alarm to go off earlier!
On paper, this year's Mission: Electric event seemed like an extended session for participants to try out Mercedes-Benz Singapore's entire fleet of electric vehicles. The brand claims that with 15 models (variants included), it has the widest range of EVs of any car brand in Singapore.
Driving all 15 cars in one morning, however, was impossible and Mercedes knew this. So, each team would instead be assigned three models, with the two swaps occurring at the two destinations. Along the way, each team would complete missions for points, and the top team would win a prize.
Having heard about how extensive the 2024 edition was, I expected our team to face 10 missions like my colleagues did last year. But I was shocked to learn that we only had five missions to accomplish. Was waking up early to reach the start point at the Mercedes-Benz Centre by 8am even worth it?
The cool and rainy weather made the hot coffee taste even better
A slow start
Mornings are tough for most people, as evidenced by the low-energy vibe and bleary-eyed faces of both participants and organisers. The gloomy and rainy weather only served to make us long for our beds and blankets.
But as cheery "Good Mornings" were exchanged and strong cups of coffee were consumed, the mood began to lift. Smiles emerged as media friends greeted one another and began catching up. Suddenly, the lack of sleep no longer felt as bad as it did an hour ago.
These days, a smartphone is all that's needed to unlock the vehicle and view your objectives
After registration, our team of three was assigned an iPhone, which also served as the digital key to an EQS450+, the first car we would drive. We were also given a 20-megapixel camera from Paper Shoot. This retrolicious, film-inspired digital camera is housed between two 'paper boards'. It can be recharged via a USB-cable, which also enables you to transfer photos to your phone or computer.
To shoot, I was told to press and hold the shutter button until I heard a confirmation sound. Upon releasing it, I would hear another shutter click, which meant that the photo was taken. The viewfinder itself was just a square cut-out on the body.
Marcel Mustelier Perez, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Singapore, welcomed participants and told them to have fun
Using it felt exciting because until the photos could be downloaded, you had no idea what they looked like. The anticipation I felt was like waiting for a roll of film to be developed.
Once the briefing was done, we hopped into the EQS450+ and took an in-car selfie (one of our missions) before I drove us to Gardens by the Bay, our first destination. There, we finished several more missions, which included taking a group photo with our car, taking a photo of an ice-cream sandwich, and posing with a Supertree.
The heavy rain did not stop our intrepid videographer from completing the photo missions
Grins and whims
Honestly, chronicling our journey by making an album is not a challenge. But perhaps that was never the aim. We had spent the past 20 minutes just enjoying each other's company without talking about work or planning the next activity on the list. That was refreshing.
We felt even more refreshed as my colleague, Zhi Xuan, took the wheel of the brisk EQE43 AMG and gleefully allowed the car's 469bhp and 858Nm of torque to come to the fore, as we sped towards our next stop: Wheeler's Estate in Seletar.
The powerful EQE43 AMG has all-wheel drive, which came in handy in the wet conditions
The conversation between him, myself, and Mickie, our videographer, flowed easily. We talked about going cycling and wished the weather would hold (it was raining heavily at Gardens by the Bay). We loudly delighted in having a long weekend, thanks to the upcoming Good Friday public holiday.
At Wheeler's Yard, we had to take one last picture (with the famous trailer) and participate in a scavenger hunt to search for a Mercedes-Benz star. Finding a silver star would net the team five points, but getting the elusive gold star was worth 10.
However, despite the organisers repeatedly telling us the stars could only be found "on structures" and "would never be on the ground", a journalist found the elusive gold star under a traffic cone. Him and his team deservedly won the day. But was the miscommunication unintentional or on purpose? The question lingered in our minds.
If you can find this elusive gold star, your team will be awarded 10 points
Home stretch
Before we could ponder the issue further, our team swapped to the third and last car, an EQB250+. Mickie took over driving duties, while I used her work phone to record clips for our IG account. Along the way, the three of us exchanged more stories and shared even more laughs.
Back at the Mercedes-Benz Centre, we were shown how useful the Mercedes app could be for Mercedes EV owners. Apart from being able to pre-cool the vehicle's interior and push destinations to the navigation system, the app can now be used to initialise charging.
Mercedes-Benz EV owners can look forward to more convenient charging options in the future
Thanks to tie-ups with SP Mobility, Charge+, and Keppel Volt, owners can use the Mercedes app to scan the QR codes on the providers' chargers, instead of trying to find the specific app for each one. It's set to become more convenient, too, as Mercedes says it plans to partner with other providers in the future.
The penultimate activity was a slot car race. Uniquely, however, the cars would be powered by one's legs: Each team would send a member to ride a stationary bicycle, which would turn pedal power into electrical power. The catch, of course, was that pedalling too fast would result in the slot car flying off the track as it rounded the corners!
Looking ahead
On paper, we only got to drive three models - 20 percent of Mercedes' entire EV range. We had two stops, a scavenger hunt, and spent a lot of time taking pictures with the Paper Shoot camera. The 'missions' themselves were not difficult, and the only thing we wanted at the end of the event was a hearty lunch. Perhaps next year.
At the end of the day, what really mattered was the camaraderie that was reinforced. Apart from working well as a team, the stories and laughs were what ultimately made our shared experience a memorable one.
Would I go again if I was assigned next year? Well, if waking up early means being able to enjoy a team bonding session out of the office and in the company of some cool cars, sign me up. And remind me to set my alarm to go off earlier!
Thank You For Your Subscription.
