Tesla Boosts the Size of IPO

Electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc. increased the size of its initial public offering and priced it at $17 a share, above the proposed price range, on Monday night, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The offering, expected to appeal to both clean-energy investors and car geeks, bucks a recent trend of companies cutting the size of IPO plans because of stock-market volatility. Others haven't been able to complete efforts and shelved deals.

Tesla and existing shareholders will offer a combined 13.3 million shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. At $17 a share, it could raise as much as $226.1 million in the sale. The proposed price range had been $14 to $16 a share.

The company previously had said it could sell as many as 11.1 million shares, putting the IPO's value at as much as $178 million, prior to any use of the overallotment option, which would add nearly 1.7 million shares, or more than $27 million at the top price.

In the event of strong demand, the enlarged offering could be increased by nearly two million shares, according to the filing. The additional shares would come from the selling shareholders.

Under the new terms, there will be 11.9 million shares coming from the company and the rest from current owners. Tesla had projected selling up to 10.6 million shares.

Teslais still the only company selling highway-capable electric vehicles to consumers in volume. It said it has sold 1,063 Roadsters as of March 31 and has unfilled reservations for 110.The Roadster sells for $109,000, or $101,500 after federal tax credits. The Roadster Sport edition costs an extra $19,500. Some states offer additional consumer-tax breaks for buying an electric car, topping out as much as $42,000 in Colorado.

Last month, Tesla said its first-quarter loss widened to $29.5 million from $16 million a year earlier. Revenue was roughly flat at $20.8 million.