By now you've probably seen the news regarding Tesla's launch date for its all-electric roadster. The day that will live in infamy (or not) is March 17th.

I'm heartened by this news, as I (along with many others) had been moving from cautiously optimistic to downright skeptical regarding the Tesla's real-world chances. Does this date mean I'm no longer skeptical? Nope. Beyond the slipping launch date the car's technical specifications keep slipping, too. What started as a 250-mile range car with zero-to-60 in 4.0 seconds and an MSRP of $92,000 has shifted to 200 miles, zero-to-60 in 5.7 seconds and $98,000.

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It's time I admit it publicly -- I'm worried about the Tesla Roadster. Just last week a story by Automotive News' Mark Rechtin covered the latest delay in the electric Roadster's on-sale date, now scrubbed from late summer 2007 to fourth-quarter 2007. This announcement comes only a week after an announcement that the company's co-founder, Martin Eberhard, had "stepped down" from the post of CEO. Our own investigations have suggested the move was meant to free up Eberhard from the rigors of running the company and allow him to get back to the business of producing the car. An awfully good explanation...almost too good.

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