Is "in the essence of time" legitimate? Standard? Regional?

It strikes my ear as a malapropism, and I agree with the theory I found (the first Google result when searching the phrase in quotation marks):

This subtle malaphor is a mix of “in the interest of saving time” (in order to save time) and “time is of the essence” (meeting the deadlines is essential).

_{https://malaphors.com/2013/09/17/in-the-essence-of-time/}

That said, language is certainly known to evolve, and there may be more happening here than I recognize. I'd be interested in a more detailed explanation, especially if someone has a reasoned argument for this phrase being useful, meaningful, or in wider use than I'm aware.