The carmaker will follow Tesla in making
components for large batteries used by electric utilities, data centers and other businesses to handle fluctuations in power
supply and demand.
1. General Motors announced plans to
manufacture components for large-scale energy storage batteries,
diversifying beyond electric vehicles (EVs).
2. The move follows similar initiatives by
Tesla and Ford Motor Company, which have also expanded into energy storage.
3. Large storage batteries are used by:
o Utilities
o Data centers
o Industrial consumers
o Renewable energy projects
They
store excess electricity from solar and wind sources and help balance
electricity supply and demand.
4. Tesla has been selling energy storage
systems since 2015, while Ford announced plans to convert a Kentucky factory
for battery storage production after scaling back EV battery manufacturing.
5. GM will partner with Peak Energy to
develop industrial-scale battery systems.
6. The company plans to use sodium-ion
battery technology, rather than conventional lithium-ion
batteries.
7. Advantages of sodium-ion batteries
include:
o Lower material costs
o Easier processing
o Reduced dependence on lithium
o Less need for complex cooling and heating
systems
8. GM believes sodium-ion technology could
significantly reduce energy storage costs.
9. Commercial-scale production is expected by
2028, as
the technology still requires further refinement.
10. Currently, sodium-ion batteries are too
heavy and bulky for widespread vehicle use, although future improvements may
change this.
11. U.S. automakers have reduced EV production
following the elimination of federal EV tax credits worth up to $7,500.
12. Lower-than-expected EV sales have resulted
in billions of dollars in losses for automakers, including:
·
General
Motors
·
Ford
·
Stellantis
·
Honda
13. Expanding into stationary battery storage
offers automakers an opportunity to better utilize investments already made in
battery manufacturing facilities.
14. GM announced software updates enabling
certain electric vehicles to supply electricity back to power grids.
15. Eligible models include:
·
Chevrolet
Silverado EV
·
Chevrolet
Equinox EV
·
Chevrolet
Blazer EV
·
Several
Cadillac EV models
·
Chevrolet
·
Cadillac
16. Vehicle owners could earn income by
allowing utilities to draw electricity from their vehicles while connected to
home chargers.
17. GM estimates it has already sold about 250,000
vehicles capable of supporting this feature.
18. Similar vehicle-to-grid technologies are
available in:
·
Tesla
Cybertruck
·
Ford
F-150 Lightning
·
Tesla
Cybertruck
·
Ford
F-150 Lightning
19. However, U.S. utilities have so far
implemented only limited pilot projects using vehicle-to-grid systems.
20. GM is updating vehicle software to
simplify public charging.
21. Drivers will increasingly be able to use plug-and-charge
functionality, allowing charging sessions to begin automatically without
smartphone apps.
22. The feature will work at many charging
stations, including those operated by Tesla.
23. GM aims to address the three main barriers
to EV adoption:
·
Vehicle
cost
·
Driving
range
·
Charging
convenience
General
Motors is diversifying into the fast-growing energy storage market by
developing lower-cost sodium-ion batteries and expanding vehicle-to-grid
capabilities. The strategy allows GM to leverage its battery investments,
offset slower EV sales, and position itself in the broader clean energy
ecosystem.
[ABS News Service/10.06.2026]
General
Motors plans to begin making components for large storage batteries, the company
said Tuesday, joining Tesla, Ford Motor and other carmakers in pushing into a growing
market and compensating for slower sales of electric vehicles in the United States.
The
batteries, which can be the size of shipping containers, store excess energy from
solar panels, wind turbines and other power sources. Utilities, data centers and other big energy consumers use them for backup power
or to manage fluctuations in electricity supply or demand.
Tesla
has been selling storage batteries since 2015. Ford said last year that it would
convert a factory in Kentucky to make large batteries, after shutting down production
of electric vehicle batteries at the plant because car sales fell short of expectations.
G.M.
plans to develop battery cells for large-scale storage using a relatively new technology.
Peak Energy, a company based in California and Colorado that is teaming up with
the automaker, will integrate the cells into industrial-scale systems.
Making
storage batteries, which Tesla and other companies also produce in smaller sizes
for homes, could help automakers get a better return on the investments they have
made in battery factories.
G.M.
and other U.S. carmakers have scaled back production of electric vehicles after
Congress last year eliminated tax incentives that could be worth up to $7,500. Sales
slumped, forcing G.M., Ford, Stellantis and Honda to report billions of dollars
in losses from electric vehicle investments that now won’t pay off.
At
the same time, most automobile executives expect electric vehicles to gradually
replace vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel. Sales of battery-powered models
are surging in much of the rest of the world because of rising fuel prices caused
by the war in Iran.
“We
believe that E.V.s are the future,” Mary Barra, the chief executive of G.M., said
in an interview last week with “NBC Nightly News,” adding that car buyers would
set the pace of change.
G.M.
plans to develop battery cells in which sodium is the main active ingredient, a
different approach from Ford or Tesla. Sodium, often derived from soda ash, is much
cheaper and easier to process than lithium, the main ingredient in most storage
and electric vehicle batteries. Sodium-ion batteries also do not require elaborate
cooling and heating systems to operate safely and efficiently.
“In
this market, it’s all about cost,” Kurt Kelty, a G.M. vice president who oversees
its battery business, said in an interview.
But
the technology needs to be refined and will not be ready for mass production until
2028, Mr. Kelty said.
Sodium-ion
batteries are too large and heavy for use in most vehicles, but that could change
in four or five years as the technology improves, Mr. Kelty said. “We’re at the
very beginning stages of sodium ion, like how much it can drop in cost and how much
the performance can improve.”
G.M.
also said it would issue software updates to allow some of its electric vehicles
to be used to send power to electric grids. Owners of electric Chevrolets, including
the Silverado pickup and Equinox and Blazer sport utility vehicles, as well as several
Cadillac models, would be able to earn money by allowing electric utilities to draw
power from the cars and trucks when they were plugged into home chargers.
G.M.
has already sold about 250,000 vehicles capable of that feature, the company said.
The
technology “ultimately, over time, will put money in the back of the pockets of
our customers,” Wade Sheffer, vice president of G.M. Energy, said. On Tuesday he
called on utility companies to take advantage of the growing number of vehicles
that energy providers can use to balance the supply and demand of electricity.
Tesla
also offers a vehicle-to-grid feature on its Cybertruck pickup, and Ford’s F-150
Lightning pickup has similar capabilities. But U.S. electric utilities, which tend
to be slow to embrace new technology, have run only small pilot projects to test
the use of electric vehicles in this way.
G.M.
also said Tuesday that it was updating its electric vehicle software to make it
easier for drivers to use public charging stations. Drivers should no longer need
to use apps on their phones to start a charging session at many stations, including
those operated by Tesla. They can simply plug their cars into compatible stations
and walk away.
The
overall goal is to make electric vehicle ownership more affordable and more convenient,
Mr. Kelty said. Range, cost and charging “are the big three things that are always
issues with E.V.s,” he said. “That’s really what we’re going after.”