Tesla engineer migrates to GM to create affordable electric cars

General Motors is betting that America’s reticence to adopt electric vehicles is temporary. New batteries are helping it drive down the cost of its cars.

Excerpt: "General Motors GM -1.20%decrease; red down pointing triangle is in a fight for its life.

One day, nearly all cars will be electric vehicles. And GM, like any automaker that wants to stick around, must be on the forefront of making them—even amid regulatory shifts like the end of the EV tax credit, tariffs boosting materials costs, and a growing list of EV-only competitors. Survival depends in part on whether its bets on battery technology pay off.

In 2024, GM hired one of the most experienced battery geeks on the planet to head its battery and sustainability efforts. Kurt Kelty is a 30-year veteran of the industry who spent 11 years at Tesla leading the company’s pathbreaking efforts to perfect this most critical EV component.

“I’m a firm believer,” in the global shift to EVs, says Kelty. Switching to an electric powertrain means better performance, less maintenance, more space inside the vehicle, a lower center of gravity and a higher crash rating, he adds. Evolution away from fossil fuels is “unstoppable.”

Worldwide, EV sales rocketed 30% in March of 2025 compared with the year before."