Avis Budget Group Inc. shares soared 108 per cent to the highest level ever amid a flurry of retail-crazed trading, after top executives said the car rental company will play a big role in the adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S.

“You’ll see us going forward be much more active in electric scenarios as the situation develops,” Chief Executive Officer Joe Ferraro told analysts on a conference call Tuesday.

The stock more than doubled to US$357.17, after more than tripling at one point in New York, bringing total gains for the year to a whopping 858 per cent. The rapid jump in the stock price triggered at least 11 trading halts for volatility as 30 million shares changed hands -- more than 15 times what’s been seen over the past month.

The morning rally at one point added more than US$18 billion to the company’s market value, which topped the US$30 billion mark. At that level, Avis briefly became the largest component of the Russell 2000 Index, surpassing another meme-stock favorite, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. The company ended Tuesday’s session valued at US$20 billion.

Avis didn’t disclose any plans to add EVs to its fleet after rival Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said it would buy 100,000 cars from Tesla Inc. But Avis executives said that doesn’t mean they aren’t pursuing potential deals for EVs. 

“The reason you haven’t heard from us publicly is because for competitive reasons, we like to execute on our strategy before announcing it,” Chief Financial Officer Brian Choi said on the call.

Hertz shares meanwhile added to a spectacular meme-like rally sparked by its plans to buy Tesla cars. It jumped as much as 35 per cent on Tuesday before paring the gain to 2.7 per cent as Tesla founder Elon Musk cast doubt on the idea. Even after the retreat, shares of Hertz still have more than doubled since mid-September. 

Tuesday’s surge came as Avis was mentioned alongside other retail-trader favorites on Reddit’s WallStreetBets thread and chatroom Stocktwits.

Mentions of the company’s ticker rivaled the likes of Tesla and GameStop Corp., the original meme, across WallStreetBets Tuesday. It was also the No. 1 trending company on Stocktwits.

Short interest for Avis has remained elevated and is near the highest level in at least a year, according to S3 Partners. About 21 per cent of Avis’s free float is held short, S3 Partners’ data show.

The mania grew so intense that TD Ameritrade stopped allowing short sales in Avis, put restrictions on custom option spreads and limited orders on short individual options.