General Motors is stepping up its efforts to build an energy storage business as surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centres puts pressure on power grids across the United States.
The Detroit carmaker has partnered with Peak Energy, a Denver-based start-up, to develop sodium-ion batteries for large-scale storage systems. GM expects the technology to be available for customers after 2028, giving the company another route into a market that is becoming increasingly important as utilities and businesses look for ways to manage higher energy use.
Unlike batteries designed for electric vehicles, stationary storage systems do not need to prioritise weight or compact size. That could make sodium-ion cells a practical option for projects where lower costs, durability, and easier maintenance are more important.
“Sodium-ion-powered energy storage systems have the potential to operate without active cooling and with much less system complexity,” Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice-president of battery and sustainability, said in a blog post. “In large energy storage systems, that matters.”
The agreement with Peak Energy is part of GM’s wider attempt to find new uses for the battery capacity it has developed over recent years. Carmakers invested heavily in EV production as they prepared for rapid adoption, but sales growth has been slower than many companies initially expected.
GM is also expanding its use of lithium iron phosphate batteries, commonly known as LFP cells. Through Ultium Cells, its joint venture with LG Energy Solution, the company has around 90 gigawatt hours of production capacity at plants in Ohio and Tennessee. The venture announced a $70 million investment in March to manufacture LFP batteries for energy storage systems at its Tennessee facility.
Alongside its industrial plans, GM wants to help EV owners make better use of their vehicles. The company is working with utilities in California and Michigan to expand vehicle-to-grid services, which allow compatible EVs to power homes or send electricity back to the grid during periods of high demand.
GM also introduced Energy Pass, a service intended to simplify public charging, including access to Tesla Superchargers. From the 2027 model year, all new GM electric vehicles will include a North American Charging Standard port.