What We Like
Swift acceleration
Responsive handling
Quiet and refined cabin
Comfortable to be in
Feels very much like a conventional car from behind the wheel
What We Dislike
Lack of local charging infrastructure and Government support
Just a day after Swedish luxury vehicle manufacturer Volvo announced its radical move to electrify every model launched from 2019, Emmanuel Macron's Government declared that France would end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040, as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord.
Do these initiatives mark the seemingly inevitable end of internal combustion engines? As much as we would like to deny it, powertrain shifts are indicating so.
In Singapore, this massive change shouldn't happen anytime in the near future due to the lack of charging infrastructure and our Government's suspected inadequacy of know-how, despite its upcoming electric car-sharing programme.
Having given rebates of $10,000 and $15,000 to the second and third imported Tesla Model S respectively by the Government, after initially slapping the first with a controversial $15,000 tax surcharge, it's uncertain what the future of electric cars in Singapore will be like.
But for now, environmentalists here can purchase models like the BMW i3, the Nissan Leaf and the newest one to join the crop, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive B250e, which you see here.
Shock me like an electric eel
Powering the B250e is a Tesla-sourced asynchronous electric motor drive system. Interestingly, Daimler disposed of its four percent stake in the American automaker, which it had held since 2009.
In Sport mode, you get the full shebang from its electric motor, which outputs 177bhp and 340Nm of torque, allowing the emissions-free compact to whiz from 0-100km/h in just 7.9 seconds at the calling of your right foot.
Due to its instantaneous delivery of torque, typical of electric drive, the B250e is a serious dasher. The car's motor responds energetically, delivering bursts of acceleration that would shame most warm hatchbacks in a traffic light drag race.
However, driving in Sport mode reduces the 150km range expected with a full charge, which takes eight to nine hours using a portable charger and just two to three hours with a fast charger.
There are two other driving modes you can employ to stretch your travel distance, Economy and Economy Plus. In Economy mode, power is dumbed down to about 132bhp to get you further and Economy Plus - tuned for constant steady-speed journeys - reduces the output of the motor to just about 83bhp.
Do these initiatives mark the seemingly inevitable end of internal combustion engines? As much as we would like to deny it, powertrain shifts are indicating so.
In Singapore, this massive change shouldn't happen anytime in the near future due to the lack of charging infrastructure and our Government's suspected inadequacy of know-how, despite its upcoming electric car-sharing programme.
Having given rebates of $10,000 and $15,000 to the second and third imported Tesla Model S respectively by the Government, after initially slapping the first with a controversial $15,000 tax surcharge, it's uncertain what the future of electric cars in Singapore will be like.
But for now, environmentalists here can purchase models like the BMW i3, the Nissan Leaf and the newest one to join the crop, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive B250e, which you see here.
Shock me like an electric eel
Powering the B250e is a Tesla-sourced asynchronous electric motor drive system. Interestingly, Daimler disposed of its four percent stake in the American automaker, which it had held since 2009.
In Sport mode, you get the full shebang from its electric motor, which outputs 177bhp and 340Nm of torque, allowing the emissions-free compact to whiz from 0-100km/h in just 7.9 seconds at the calling of your right foot.
Due to its instantaneous delivery of torque, typical of electric drive, the B250e is a serious dasher. The car's motor responds energetically, delivering bursts of acceleration that would shame most warm hatchbacks in a traffic light drag race.
However, driving in Sport mode reduces the 150km range expected with a full charge, which takes eight to nine hours using a portable charger and just two to three hours with a fast charger.
There are two other driving modes you can employ to stretch your travel distance, Economy and Economy Plus. In Economy mode, power is dumbed down to about 132bhp to get you further and Economy Plus - tuned for constant steady-speed journeys - reduces the output of the motor to just about 83bhp.
As we didn't drive the test car too far, we kept it mostly in the grin-inducing Sport mode. However, the beauty of the B250e doesn't just lie with its lightning-quick sprinting abilities, but also how conventional it is from behind the wheel.
Thanks to the same progressive steering weight and firm brake pedal found in most other Mercedes small cars, you tend to forget that the B250e is, in fact, an eco-warrior. Its unobtrusive regenerative braking system, too, affords enough everyday normalcy for sceptics like myself to reconsider our cynicism.
Surprisingly, to this writer, the steering response and ride quality of the electric B-Class even outranks its petrol-breathing siblings.
Turn me on with your electric feel
It's the same conventional impressions inside, as you get that all-familiar Mercedes-Benz treatment. The B250e has the same interior layout as the CLA and GLA models, with which it shares its platform and that means all-round user-friendliness and refinement. Cabin materials both look and feel top-notch.
For a humble-looking baby multi-purpose vehicle, there's plenty of room for four full-sized adults to feel comfortable, as well as a generous 500-litre boot. On top of that, its well-insulated cabin and super refined electric motor make for an incredibly quiet drive.
Plug it in and change the world, you are my electric girl
At time of writing, the B250e goes for $148,000 from parallel importer Ken Jie Cars, which does seem like great savings and value for the long run if you've got convenient access to charging stations.
If the B250e is an example of an automotive future without internal combustions engines, as sad as that future is for enthusiasts like myself, it should be one that most eco-lovers with an affinity for the finer things in life can look forward to.
Till then, let's just hope that our Government doesn't start enforcing outrageous tax surcharges and electricity charging tariffs at every whiff of a chance it gets.
Thanks to the same progressive steering weight and firm brake pedal found in most other Mercedes small cars, you tend to forget that the B250e is, in fact, an eco-warrior. Its unobtrusive regenerative braking system, too, affords enough everyday normalcy for sceptics like myself to reconsider our cynicism.
Surprisingly, to this writer, the steering response and ride quality of the electric B-Class even outranks its petrol-breathing siblings.
Turn me on with your electric feel
It's the same conventional impressions inside, as you get that all-familiar Mercedes-Benz treatment. The B250e has the same interior layout as the CLA and GLA models, with which it shares its platform and that means all-round user-friendliness and refinement. Cabin materials both look and feel top-notch.
For a humble-looking baby multi-purpose vehicle, there's plenty of room for four full-sized adults to feel comfortable, as well as a generous 500-litre boot. On top of that, its well-insulated cabin and super refined electric motor make for an incredibly quiet drive.
Plug it in and change the world, you are my electric girl
At time of writing, the B250e goes for $148,000 from parallel importer Ken Jie Cars, which does seem like great savings and value for the long run if you've got convenient access to charging stations.
If the B250e is an example of an automotive future without internal combustions engines, as sad as that future is for enthusiasts like myself, it should be one that most eco-lovers with an affinity for the finer things in life can look forward to.
Till then, let's just hope that our Government doesn't start enforcing outrageous tax surcharges and electricity charging tariffs at every whiff of a chance it gets.
