GM Targets US Energy Storage Market With Sodium-Ion Cells

General Motors is expanding its battery strategy beyond electric vehicles by advancing the development of sodium-ion battery cells for large-scale energy storage in the United States through a collaboration with Peak Energy, supported by GM Ventures. The initiative positions the automaker to address growing demand for grid-scale electricity storage driven by data centers, industrial electrification, and rising power consumption.

While lithium-ion technologies remain central to electric mobility, the company is pursuing sodium-ion chemistry for stationary storage applications, where energy density and driving range are less critical than reliability, operating life, and total cost of ownership.

“Assigning the right chemistry to each need” is the principle guiding the company’s approach, according to GM. 

Sodium-ion batteries operate similarly to lithium-ion batteries, storing and releasing energy through the movement of ions during charge and discharge cycles. Because sodium and lithium belong to the same group of elements on the periodic table, they share important chemical properties. However, sodium-ion technology offers performance characteristics that may be better suited for stationary storage systems.

GM said the cells under development are intended for utilities, hyperscale data center operators, and energy providers that require storage systems capable of delivering stable power under real-world operating conditions. In these applications, reducing system complexity and maintenance requirements can be more important than minimizing weight.

The company believes sodium-ion batteries can operate across a wider range of temperatures and withstand more charge-discharge cycles than some established battery chemistries. According to GM, this could enable storage systems to function without active cooling, reducing hardware requirements, maintenance costs, energy losses, noise, and potential points of failure.

“In large-scale installations, avoiding or reducing cooling systems can lower hardware, maintenance, energy losses, noise and opportunities for failure,” the company said.

That potential forms the basis of GM’s partnership with Peak Energy, whose storage platform is designed to capitalize on the advantages of sodium-ion chemistry. GM said the collaboration aims to translate those technical benefits into lower costs and improved reliability for stationary energy storage operators.

The automaker also views sodium-ion technology as a chemistry with significant room for advancement. While lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries have undergone substantial development over the past 25 years, GM believes sodium-ion batteries remain at an earlier stage of their technological evolution, creating opportunities for further performance improvements.

“The sodium-ion chemistry is at an earlier stage of its technological curve, with more room to drive meaningful improvements,” GM said.

Another factor supporting the technology is the abundance of its primary raw material. Sodium is one of the most plentiful elements on Earth, providing a potential pathway toward battery systems built with more accessible materials and greater long-term supply resilience.

Because sodium-ion cells share architectural similarities with lithium-ion batteries, GM can leverage its existing expertise in cell design, prototyping, and industrialization to accelerate development. The company said its next-generation sodium-ion cells are being engineered to increase energy density, potentially allowing them to compete over time with more mature chemistries, including LFP.

The initiative is being led from GM’s battery research and development center in Warren, Michigan. The facility has played a key role in advancing battery technologies for electric vehicles, including lithium manganese-rich (LMR) chemistry, and is now expanding its focus to include grid-scale energy storage applications.

As part of the program, GM will begin prototyping sodium-ion battery cells designed specifically for stationary storage later this year at its Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center.

At the same time, the company is supporting current demand for energy storage through existing battery technologies. Through Ultium Cells, its joint venture with LG Energy Solution, GM plans to accelerate production of LFP batteries for LG Energy Solution’s commercial energy storage business.

GM’s energy strategy also includes second-life applications for electric vehicle batteries. In partnership with Redwood Materials, the company is deploying approximately 10,000 GM battery packs in energy infrastructure projects, including the artificial intelligence data center operated by Crusoe in Sparks, Nevada.

Beginning in 2027, GM also plans to deploy second-life battery packs at one of its Michigan manufacturing plants. The project is expected to utilize approximately 100 battery packs capable of providing 7.2 MWh of deliverable energy. GM estimates the installation could generate more than US$3 million in local electricity cost savings over the system’s operating life.