General Motors is extending its battery expertise into grid-scale energy storage through a new strategic partnership with Peak Energy, a U.S.-based company developing low-cost storage technology for the electric grid.
Peak Energy announced that it will work with GM to develop and deploy next-generation sodium-ion battery cells purpose-built for grid storage applications. The partnership is backed by a strategic investment from GM Ventures in Peak Energy and combines Peak’s passively cooled storage platform with GM’s battery cell development expertise.
Under the partnership, GM will develop the sodium-ion cell in its Michigan battery labs and retain exclusive manufacturing rights. Peak will incorporate the cell into its proprietary energy storage systems as the company scales domestic manufacturing.
The announcement marks another example of automaker battery knowledge being applied beyond the vehicle market. In May, Ford launched Ford Energy, a new business focused on battery energy storage systems for large-scale customers such as data centers, utilities, and large industrial and commercial operations. Ford said that business is part of a shift to use underutilized electric vehicle battery capacity and create a new revenue stream in the energy storage market.
While Ford’s announcement focused on lithium-iron phosphate prismatic cells, battery energy storage system modules, and 20-foot DC container systems, GM’s work with Peak Energy is centered on sodium-ion technology for stationary storage. Peak Energy said today’s incumbent energy storage technology is built around lithium-iron phosphate chemistry and requires active cooling to maintain safe operating temperatures. The company said its passively cooled sodium-ion storage system eliminates energy-intensive cooling systems that add cost.
Peak Energy said its sodium-ion system reduces energy storage costs by 20% compared to conventional systems and delivers more than 99% uptime. The company also said the United States could reduce battery storage’s annual energy waste by up to 2 TWh per year by switching from LFP-based systems to Peak’s passively cooled system, based on Peak Energy analysis.
“Lowering the cost of energy is one of the most important issues facing America today,” said Landon Mossburg, CEO and co-founder of Peak Energy. “We are proud to develop an energy storage system that is safer, cheaper, and faster to deploy that any other technology on the market, enabling the U.S. to meet rapidly growing energy demand without saddling consumers with higher prices.”
Kurt Kelty, vice president of Battery and Sustainability at General Motors, said the application should determine the battery technology used.
“For grid-scale stationary storage, sodium-ion is the right solution,” Kelty said. “Peak is already demonstrating the value of sodium-ion through their innovative energy storage platform, and together we’re working to push those benefits even further with our next-generation cell — helping deliver more reliable, lower-cost energy storage at scale for the U.S. grid.”
Peak Energy was founded in 2023 and is developing low-cost, giga-scale energy storage technology. The company said the partnership with GM is intended to strengthen American leadership and innovation in the energy storage market while supporting Peak’s domestic supply chain as manufacturing scales.
For fleets, charging providers, utilities, and large commercial energy users, the growth of stationary storage could become increasingly important as electrification expands. Battery energy storage systems can play a role in supporting large-scale power demand, including the types of grid and facility needs tied to transportation electrification, industrial operations, and data centers.
The GM-Peak partnership and Ford’s move into energy storage show that automakers are looking at battery technology as more than a vehicle platform. As demand grows for large-scale, lower-cost, and more reliable storage, companies with battery development and manufacturing expertise are moving to serve both mobility and grid applications.
