GM, Peak Energy partner on US sodium-ion battery supply
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- Peak Energy and General Motors announced a partnership on June 9 to develop sodium-ion battery systems for grid-scale storage, with GM holding exclusive manufacturing rights and producing cells in Michigan.
- The companies said Peak's sodium-ion systems cut energy storage costs by 20% over conventional technology and could reduce grid energy waste by up to 2 TWh per year with a wholesale switchover from lithium-iron-phosphate.
- Peak Energy has 6.5 GWh of orders booked, including a November deal to supply up to 4.75 GWh to Jupiter Power by 2030, and energized the first U.S. grid-tied sodium-ion deployment last fall — a 3.5-MWh system near Denver.
- Most of the world's sodium-ion stationary storage sits in China, where the IEA expects manufacturing capacity to increase sixfold by 2030; Peak plans to announce the location of a 4 GWh/year domestic manufacturing facility this summer.
- The passively cooled systems target four- to 12-hour discharge durations for data centers and the power grid, with cells retaining 90% capacity at minus 104°F and operating up to 158°F, per the IEA.
Why it matters: Peak's systems undercut current lithium-iron-phosphate storage by 20%, and a domestic sodium-ion supply chain gives U.S. data center and grid operators a lower-cost alternative to Chinese-dominated technology. With 6.5 GWh already booked and Peak's first U.S. grid-tied deployment live, the partnership moves sodium-ion from pilot to commercial scale in a market where China currently controls most operating capacity.
