Tesla announced a $US5bn capital raise on Tuesday which a Reuters report said was the electric car maker's second such move in three months as the electric-car maker cashes in on a meteoric rally in its shares this year.

The news agency said the automaker's shares touched a record high on Monday but changed course to fall over 2% in premarket trading.

Reuters said Tesla entered an equity distribution agreement with banks including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup Global Markets to sell its common stock, having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $5bn.