Is Driving the Most Eco-Friendly Way to Travel?
The 2018 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which can travel 50 kilometres without any gas, suggests it might be.
Travelling via hybrid car is a surefire way to reduce your carbon footprint—but it doesn’t necessarily feel like a “cool” way to get from point A to B. (You’ve seen the Prius memes, right? These cars aren’t exactly like private jets.) Now, to be totally honest, I’m not exactly an authority on automobiles. When I got behind the wheel of Porsche’s 2018 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid at the beginning of a four-day East Coast road trip, I had to reach into the glove compartment to peek at the owner’s manual.
But here’s something I do know a lot about: luxury (a.k.a. feeling really, really cool). When you drive a four-seater sports car with a red leather interior for 50 kilometres without any gas, you quickly realize that efficiency doesn’t have to undermine comfort, performance and cool. Here is something else I know: At this very moment, roughly 1.2 million people are sailing through the sky on nearly 10,000 flights. And here’s something that you probably already know: This is very bad news for the environment. According to The New York Times, “one round-trip flight between New York and California [generates] about 20 per cent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over an entire year.”
Sometimes, air travel is necessary. But with the increasing frequency of budget flight options, it can also seem like a good idea to book a spontaneous weekend getaway to Los Angeles, Paris or Cancun. Instead, we urge you to hop in your car, slide the sunroof open and hit the road for a couple of days. The journey will be more comfortable, the food options will be better and you can take all your 200-millilitre cosmetics with you.
 Now, to be totally honest, I’m not exactly an authority on automobiles. When I got behind the wheel of Porsche’s 2018 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid at the beginning of a four-day East Coast road trip, I had to reach into the glove compartment to peek at the owner’s manual.
But here’s something I do know a lot about: luxury (a.k.a. feeling really, really cool). When you drive a four-seater sports car with a red leather interior for 50 kilometres without any gas, you quickly realize that efficiency doesn’t have to undermine comfort, performance and cool. Here is something else I know: At this very moment, roughly 1.2 million people are sailing through the sky on nearly 10,000 flights. And here’s something that you probably already know: This is very bad news for the environment. According to The New York Times, “one round-trip flight between New York and California [generates] about 20 per cent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over an entire year.”
Sometimes, air travel is necessary. But with the increasing frequency of budget flight options, it can also seem like a good idea to book a spontaneous weekend getaway to Los Angeles, Paris or Cancun. Instead, we urge you to hop in your car, slide the sunroof open and hit the road for a couple of days. The journey will be more comfortable, the food options will be better and you can take all your 200-millilitre cosmetics with you.){kind=link}