AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla Motors Inc. , the electric car maker, is betting on itself to emerge as the first electric-vehicle company to become a public company, according to a new report by an investor group.

Tesla is in talks to acquire the California-based maker of battery electric vehicles, Tesla Motors Inc., the group said in a filing Thursday.

The investment group, the Palo Alto-based Global Advisors Inc., said Tesla could be the first private company to have a public listing under the Securities Exchange Act.

Telsa is valued at $3.5 billion, according a valuation compiled by Bloomberg.

It is the latest in a string of private companies to get into the energy sector in recent years.

In December, General Motors Co. announced a $1.8 billion deal to buy SolarCity Corp. Last month, China’s CNOOC Group Corp. said it would buy solar-panel maker SunPower Corp. for $3 billion.

Citi, the investment group’s parent, has $7.5 trillion in assets under management.

Investors are betting on Tesla, which is valued in recent months at $50 billion.