Will Tesla Drive Into the Mainstream?

Electric car maker Tesla is embroiled in a bitter public fight with the New York Times over whether the paper unfairly criticized one of Tesla's cars.

By Dana Blankenhorn: Life has rules.Don't eat at a place called Mom's. Don't play poker against a guy called Doc.Don't get in an argument with The New York Times (NYT).

The electric car maker's stock offering, expected Tuesday, grows to 13.3 million shares, with room for 2 million more if demand is heavy enough. Nasdaq symbol: TSLA. Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. increased the amount of stock to be sold in its initial public offering.

The stock of electric car maker Tesla (TSLA) got a boost of four percent yesterday after the company said it expects $60 million in revenue for building the electrical system for the new Toyota (TM) RAV4 sport utility vehicle.

Silicon Valley has emerged as the hub for the nascent electric vehicle movement. Tesla Motors (TSLA), glowing in the spotlight of the first initial public offering of a U.S. automaker in over 50 years, is the star at the moment. The Palo Alto-based maker of the sporty, $109,000 Roadster has the strong supporting case that it sorely needs to make this IPO venture a success.

Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. climbed in their trading debut after the electric car maker's expanded initial public offering raised more money than expected.

Shares in the electric car maker are expected to draw strong interest from investors. The stock price and timing of the initial public offering are unknown. California electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc.

One year ago tomorrow, social networking phenomenon Facebook went public in one of the most highly anticipated initial public offerings of the last decade. Leading up to the IPO, which valued the company at a whopping $104 billion — or 100 times earnings — the hype was intense. Facebook, market prognosticators predicted, would soar in the first day of trading, generating easy gains for the investors who rushed for a piece of the action.