GM teams with Peak Energy on sodium‑ion battery cells
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- GM announced a partnership with energy‑storage startup Peak Energy to develop a new sodium‑ion battery chemistry for grid‑scale deployments.
- GM committed $900 million to commercialize new battery chemistries and is building a Battery Cell Development Center that aims to start trial production of sodium‑ion cells in 2028.
- Peak Energy’s sodium‑ion energy‑storage system omits cooling and fire‑suppression hardware, reducing upfront costs and maintenance because sodium‑ion cells have lower overheating risk.
- GM will purchase a 7.2 MWh second‑life battery system from Redwood Materials for a Michigan plant, expecting $3 million in lifetime savings.
- GM will continue supplying lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) cells to LG Energy Solution for its energy‑storage systems while the sodium‑ion cells are still years from commercial production.
- Redwood Materials operates a 12 MW/63 MWh microgrid using second‑life EV packs at a Crusoe data center in Nevada, a model GM plans to replicate at its factories.
Why it matters: GM’s $900 M investment and sodium‑ion partnership gives it a foothold in the fast‑growing grid‑storage market, offering cheaper, longer‑lasting cells that are less prone to overheating, while Redwood Materials secures a $7.2 MWh industrial order and LG Energy Solution retains a supply line for LFP cells.
