GM recruited battery specialist and ex-Tesla executive Kurt Kelty as its new vice president of batteries. His start date is February 19.
Kelty will join GM as the corporation struggles to enhance battery pack production for its Ultium platform, which will power its next-generation electric cars.
“The foundation that GM has established, coupled with Kurt’s exceptional battery expertise in leading battery chemistry development, establishing partnerships, building out supply chains, and partnering closely with teams that have developed leading battery systems, will help us achieve our electrification goals and position GM as a leader in EV technology,” GM president Mark Reuss said.
Kelty’s influence will undoubtedly impact Ultium, although it is far larger. Teams at GM work on several battery processes. No one job has coordinated all steps, including acquiring raw materials and testing new technology.
Kelty oversaw Tesla’s battery team for more than a decade. He saw Tesla’s first four cars—the Roadster, Model S, Model X, and Model 3. He formerly worked at Panasonic, Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory cell development partner.
He most recently served as the vice president of commercialization at Sila Nanotechnologies, a company that Gene Berdichevsky founded and which is developing a silicon-based anode to significantly increase lithium-ion battery energy density.
