Lawyer Patrick Yeo has spent most of his life burning petrol.

The 51-year-old has been through many interesting and often sporty rides. There are too many to list here, but he counts among his favourites a 2000 Honda Civic SiR, a 2003 Volvo V40 T4, a 2003 Lexus GS300, a 2006 Subaru STI, a 2007 Nissan 350Z Nismo and a 2008 BMW 335i Coupe.

Perhaps by way of penance, his latest ride emits not a gram of hydrocarbon on the move.

He paid about $300,000 to bring in an all-electric Tesla Model 3 Performance from Britain through a parallel importer last November.

He says he wanted to "embrace the EV (electric vehicle) revolution without compromising on performance, technology and range in daily use".

Indeed, going green does not mean having to give up on the thrills. The Tesla, a tame-looking four-door sedan, dishes out 450bhp and hits 100kmh in just over three seconds and a top speed of 260kmh - close to supercar pace.

That acceleration is even more startling because it is delivered in near silence, which delights Mr Yeo.

As he puts it, "it is a ninja assassin with its silent but crushing acceleration - quite a few unwary drivers of certain performance makes have been left bewildered".

The Tesla does fly under the radar, although Mr Yeo says "the more informed crowd never fails to give it a thumbs-up or a second look". On one occasion, a stranger even took a photo and circulated it.

Mr Yeo is keenly awaiting the day when Tesla sets up operations here and is able to provide full warranty support.

But until then, he is entrusting his ride to a workshop which has experience with Tesla cars. He has also bought warranty insurance to cover faults and breakdowns.

Mr Yeo, who is married with a teenage daughter, uses the Tesla mainly for school runs in the mornings and afternoons, and covers about 40km to 50km a day.

He also uses it for short errands "to cut down on our carbon footprint". He has two other cars - a Mercedes-Benz GLC 63S and a BMW M4. Both would qualify as "gas guzzlers".

He has installed a Tesla wall charger at home and charges the car for an hour each day - enough to keep it at a regular 80 to 90 per cent state of charge "for best battery performance and lifespan".

His family, he says, is also mad about cars.

"My daughter cannot wait to get her licence and take over this EV," he adds. "She is a fan of Tesla and its chief executive officer Elon Musk, and loves the feel of this car."

The teenager thinks the Tesla's fart mode - a cheeky feature in which flatulence sounds are emitted through the cabin's speakers when a button is pressed - is a laugh. But Mr Yeo adds: "My wife is not amused at all."