General Motors is expanding beyond electric vehicles and deeper into energy storage, with plans to develop sodium-ion batteries for grid-scale systems, support AI data center power demand, and use bidirectional EVs as distributed energy resources.
TL;DR
- GM is developing sodium-ion batteries with Peak Energy for stationary storage systems.
- It is also working with Redwood Materials to deploy repurposed EV batteries into energy infrastructure, including AI data centers.
- The company says more than 250,000 bidirectional-capable GM EVs are already on U.S. roads.
General Motors is making a bigger push into the battery energy storage market, as AI data centers and rising electrification put more pressure on power grids.
The automaker revealed the strategy during GM Empower 2026, where it outlined a future in which EVs, their batteries, and the country’s power grids work together. GM said it is developing large-scale energy storage systems for utilities and major power users, while also using connected electric vehicles to feed power back into local residential grids.
“In the past, major technology shifts were limited by slow processors or internet speeds. Today, the real bottleneck is energy,” wrote Sterling Anderson, Chief Product Officer at General Motors. “The global demand for electricity is skyrocketing, putting an incredible amount of strain on our traditional power grids.”
At the center of GM’s new plan is sodium-ion battery technology. The company is developing next-generation sodium-ion battery cells for grid-scale storage in partnership with Peak Energy, backed by a strategic investment from GM Ventures.
Unlike EV batteries, which prioritize energy density, range, and low weight, stationary energy storage systems are more focused on long life, lower cost, thermal stability, and easier maintenance. GM says sodium-ion chemistry fits this category because it can operate across a wider range of temperatures and has the potential to reduce system complexity by limiting the need for active cooling.
That matters for utilities, data centers, and commercial power users that need dependable storage assets over long periods of time.
“For decades, battery progress has been defined by familiar performance metrics such as better energy density, higher power, and faster charging,” wrote Kurt Kelty, VP, Battery, Propulsion, and Sustainability at General Motors. “But as electricity demand rises and data centers consume a growing share of U.S. power, the battery conversation is changing.”
GM says sodium-ion batteries are not being targeted for EVs in the near term. Instead, the company wants to use them for grid-scale stationary storage, where lower energy density is less of a problem and durability matters more.
Car and Driver noted that GM is adding sodium-ion as a fourth battery chemistry, alongside NMCA, LFP, and lithium manganese rich technologies. The publication also reported that sodium-ion cells are better suited for large battery systems because they use abundant materials, have stronger temperature tolerance, and can avoid some supply chain concerns tied to lithium-based chemistries.
GM said it will prototype sodium-ion cells purpose-built for stationary storage this year at its Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center. The company is also using its Warren, Michigan battery research and development operation to advance both lithium manganese rich batteries for EVs and sodium-ion batteries for grid applications.
The company is also moving quickly on near-term energy storage. Its Ultium Cells joint venture with LG Energy Solution will begin producing LFP batteries this month to serve LG Energy Solution’s commercial energy storage business.
GM is also working with Redwood Materials to give EV batteries a second life in stationary storage systems.
The company said repurposed GM EV batteries are already being deployed into energy infrastructure with Redwood Materials, including Crusoe’s AI data center in Sparks, Nevada. Together, the two companies are deploying roughly 10,000 GM batteries into energy infrastructure.
Starting next year, GM also plans to use roughly 100 second-life battery packs at one of its own Michigan plants. The installation is expected to provide 7.2 MWh of dispatchable energy and save more than $3 million in local electricity costs over its lifetime.
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This builds on GM’s earlier non-binding memorandum of understanding with Redwood Materials, which was designed to accelerate energy storage systems using both new U.S.-manufactured batteries from GM and second-life EV battery packs.
GM is also betting that its EVs can become part of the grid.
The company said there are more than 250,000 bidirectional-capable GM EVs on U.S. roads. When paired with GM home energy systems, these vehicles can support homes during localized grid failures and are engineered for vehicle-to-grid power flow without needing additional hardware iterations.
GM said it is testing vehicle-to-grid systems with PG and E in Northern California, where it projects a localized fleet of 130,000 GM EVs by 2030, with more than 52,000 participating in grid-balancing protocols. It is also testing with DTE Energy in Michigan under real-world conditions.
The timing is notable. AI data centers are driving massive electricity demand, making energy storage a bigger priority for technology companies, utilities, and automakers. GM’s pitch is that it already has battery expertise, manufacturing scale, EVs on the road, and partnerships to move beyond vehicles into power infrastructure.
Whether that turns GM into a major energy storage player remains to be seen, but the company is no longer treating batteries as just an EV component. It wants them to become part of the grid itself.
