GM hires former Tesla executive in its quest to make electric vehicles profitable
In its quest to be a leader in electric vehicle sales, General Motors has recruited a former Tesla executive to develop high-quality EV batteries at lower costs to make EVs affordable for the masses and profitable for GM.
GM said Thursday it hired Kurt Kelty, 59, in a newly created role of vice president of Batteries. He will start Feb. 19 and will report to GM President Mark Reuss, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Detroit Free Press.
Kelty will be responsible for GM’s battery cell strategy, which includes the use of raw materials, research, developing and investing in new technology, commercialization of cells and battery packs, and what to do with a battery at the end of its life, GM said in a statement.
The biggest challenge Kelty faces is finding a way to bring down battery costs, but still deliver “higher performing” EVs to customers at scale and make the vehicles profitable for GM. It’s a critical task given that during GM’s fourth-quarter earnings release last month, CEO Mary Barra told investors she expects GM’s EVs to become profitable later this year. So far EVs have not delivered a profit. GM gets its revenue from the sale of high-priced, gasoline-powered pickups and SUVs.
Reuss said in a statement that the foundation GM has already established, combined with Kelty’s “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 has pledged to spend $35 billion in investments by 2025, and the hiring of Kelty will position the automaker well, the company said in its statement.
“For more than 30 years, I’ve been focused on helping develop and commercialize battery
and away and created a larger barrier to entry. The cost of the eight- to 12-course tasting menu is $250 per person. Dishes created at Albena are exquisite, artfully and beautifully presented
“It becomes very lonely at the top,” he said. “You push very hard, you push people away, you kind of end up doing so many things yourself in pursuit of excellence and, and pursuit of being able to make ends meet. You try to find every scrap of creativity and joy and moments with your guests.”
Lipar is well known in the metro Detroit restaurant scene and is noted for opening Torino restaurant in Ferndale, with the same concept.
“We started Torino over 10 years now and we’ve been pushing for greatness in this market … trying to push the food scene in a direction that we saw, that can hold itself anywhere and across the nation,” Lipar said.
Throughout the last decade, Lipar said they’ve felt the peaks and valleys of the business and successes at both restaurants. But, he said, ultimately, the market has changed and dictates what it wants.
“I think that people desire different things, people are looking for accessibility and looking for greater cultural experiences than just fine dining,” Lipar said. “They are looking for approachability, shareability and I think not so much exclusivity as the way they used to.”
In its nearly half-dozen years inside the Siren Hotel, Lipar counts Albena as a continuation of Torino with a focus on tasting menus. They’ve succeeded in discovering so many things, techniques and ingredients, that Lipar said were unique to Albena.
“We applied a very, very unique lens of our style by removing refined grains and sugar, refined vegetable oils and seed oils,” he said. “We’ve seen the menu holistically and would also like to bring that approach of mindful eating, holistic dining to a larger audience.”
Albena, named after chef Garrett Lipar’s grandmother, who passed away in 2022, opened in late summer 2018 with only an eight-seat tasting counter offering multiple courses in a 90minute time frame.
Mark Kurlyandchik, former Free Press dining critic, listed Albena in a 2018 restaurant roundup as one of that year’s most “buzzed-about” and “eagerly-awaited” openings.
“At Albena, named for Lipar’s grandmother, the young chef aims to define contemporary Great Lakes cuisine and reignite the national buzz he earned in his previous post,” Kurlyandchik wrote of the impending opening.
Not long after its opening, Kurlyandchik named Albena as the 2019 No. 1 Detroit Free Press Best New Restaurant.
Albena’s opening came three years after chef Lipar closed Torino, his highly acclaimed Ferndale restaurant. Torino’s tasting menu-only concept earned it the 2014 Detroit Free Press Restaurant of the Year. Lipar also earned several nods as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award in the Rising Star category.
In their Instagram post, the Lipars went on to thank those who helped them along the way, including diners.
“Most importantly to the guest who came to support us menu after menu, being able to get to know each of you and cook for you has been the greatest joy we’ve ever known. Because of all of you, we were able to live our dream.”
Fans responded to Albena’s closing posting that it is “truly heartbreaking” and that the city is “losing its finest restaurant.” Comments also lauded Albena for its one-of-kind dining experience.
In the end, Lipar said they accomplished what they set out to do.
“We felt like we accomplished what we set out to do, which was to create, what we felt was one of the best restaurants in this part of the country,” Lipar said. “A continuation of our time in Torino and focusing on tasting menus and focusing on pushing boundaries, discovering things, discovering techniques and ingredients that were unique to this place.”
Albena is open Wednesday through Saturday and is located inside the Siren Hotel, 1509 Broadway St., Detroit. For information and reservations, go to albenadetroit.com.