General Motors partners with Peak Energy to expand into energy storage

The automaker is betting on sodium-ion batteries to break into the grid-scale energy storage market, with customer deployments expected after 2028.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Jun. 9, 2026

General Motors is making a play for the stationary energy storage market, and it’s doing it with a battery chemistry that doesn’t require lithium at all.

The automaker announced a strategic partnership with Peak Energy, a Denver-based startup specializing in sodium-ion battery systems for grid-scale storage. GM Ventures is making an investment in the company, while GM itself will lead cell development at its Michigan laboratories and retain exclusive manufacturing rights for the resulting battery cells. Peak Energy will then package those cells into its passively cooled battery energy storage systems.

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Why sodium-ion, and why now

Sodium-ion technology promises lower costs, improved safety and reliability, and far more accessible raw materials compared to lithium-ion alternatives.

Peak Energy isn’t exactly a newcomer to this idea, despite being founded just in 2023. The company deployed what it described as the first grid-scale sodium-ion system in the US, a 3.5 MWh installation, back in September 2025. It also secured a multi-year agreement for up to 4.75 GWh with Jupiter Power and announced a pilot project with RWE Americas in March 2026.

GM’s broader energy ambitions

GM launched its GM Energy business unit back in 2022, signaling that the company saw its future as more than just cars and trucks.

In July 2025, the company announced a collaboration with Redwood Materials focused on second-life applications for EV batteries. Between second-life batteries and purpose-built sodium-ion cells, GM is assembling a portfolio that covers multiple price points and use cases in the storage market.

What this means for investors

Initial customer deployments of the sodium-ion technology aren’t expected until after 2028. The absence of disclosed investment amounts or contract values makes it difficult to model the financial impact with precision.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.