Autos: Tesla Range In Doubt

File this under "too-good-to-be-true"?

Much has been written about Tesla Motors, the electric car start up that has become synonymous with the recent innovation explosion in alterntive fuels and efficiecy technology. VCs (VantagePoint, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, JP Morgan Bay Area Equity, etc.) and private investors (notably Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin) have provided the company has been funded to the tune of over $65 million.

Initial range estimates for the company's first roadster model (the Dark Star, pictured here) indicated 250 miles before a required recharge. Following EPA compliance testing, however, that estimate has now dropped to 200 miles. The company attributes this to required added weight for the final production version of the car.

Let's hope that this number doesn't change further. 200 miles of range may still be acceptable to their market. Should it drop below, however, perceptions about the car may begin to shift, impacting the ability to move vehicles after early adopters are sated.