GM Battery Exec Gets an Up-Close Look at the Assembly Process
Kurt Kelty, vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability at General Motors, assembles an EV battery pack at the automaker's Factory ZERO. Photo courtesy General Motors
DETROIT—Kurt Kelty, vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability at General Motors, recently visited the automaker’s Factory ZERO here to try his hand at assembling battery packs. The facility is GM’s flagship EV facility that assembles electric versions of the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Hummer and GMC Sierra.
Like all GM plants that produce EVs, Factory ZERO has a Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) department that assembles components such as battery modules and cooling systems into battery packs. While Kelty is no stranger to the RESS process, this was his first opportunity to see the battery pack assembly process up close.
During his eye-opening visit, Kelty stopped at various workstations to work on tasks such as installing coolant lines and attaching the brackets that hold battery modules in place. Along the way, he interacted with assemblers, aligned and inserted parts, and operated torque tools.
"The best part of this experience was going through each function and experiencing what our team members face every day,” says Kelty. “Little things that you might not think are a big deal can be a showstopper for a battery pack. It gave me renewed respect for our operators and what they do on the line.”
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