General Motors announced a partnership with Peak Energy, a U.S.-based grid storage startup, to develop sodium-ion battery cells for large-scale stationary energy storage, targeting utilities, data centers, and other major power users facing rising electricity demand from…
tificial intelligence. Under the arrangement, GM will develop the sodium-ion cells at its Michigan battery labs and retain manufacturing rights, while Peak Energy will incorporate the cells into its energy storage systems, the company said
As part of the deal, GM Ventures will receive an ownership stake in Peak Energy, though financial terms were not disclosed. The first cells are expected to enter trial production at GM’s Battery Cell Development Center in 2028, according to TechCrunch. Sodium-ion batteries use abundant raw materials and carry less fire risk than lithium-ion technology, making them well suited for stationary storage applications where weight and size constraints matter less, according to Bloomberg.
The reduced overheating risk that comes with sodium-ion chemistry means Peak Energy’s systems are engineered without cooling infrastructure or fire suppression, a design choice that lowers both the initial price tag and long-term maintenance expenses. Peak Energy said its sodium-ion systems reduce energy storage costs by 20% compared to conventional lithium-iron phosphate systems and deliver more than 99% uptime. “At GM, we know that the application should determine the battery, and for grid-scale stationary storage, sodium-ion is the right solution,” Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery and sustainability, said in a statement. The move is part of a broader push by GM into the energy storage market.