U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) has decided to commercialize sodium-ion batteries. According to battery industry sources on June 16, GM held its “GM Empower” event on June 9 local time and announced an equity investment in U.S. sodium-ion battery startup Peak Energy, as well as plans for joint development.

On June 9 local time, General Motors and US grid energy storage company Peak Energy announced that they would jointly develop and deploy next-generation sodium-ion battery cells purpose-built for grid energy storage. Under the agreement, General Motors will be responsible for sodium-ion cell R&D at its battery lab in Michigan and retain exclusive manufacturing rights for the cells; Peak Energy will integrate these cells into its proprietary energy storage systems.

On June 10, news emerged that General Motors has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with US energy storage company Peak Energy to jointly develop sodium-ion battery technology for grid-side energy storage applications. The two parties will combine Peak's passive cooling energy storage technology with General Motors' battery cell research and development expertise, aiming to create the world's most cost-effective and reliable energy storage battery. Under the cooperation, General Motors will use its battery laboratory in Michigan for dedicated research and development of sodium-ion battery cells, while Peak Energy will integrate these sodium-ion cells into its proprietary energy storage systems.

After both sodium-ion battery cathodes and hard carbon anodes recorded significant increases YoY and MoM in May, the midstream and downstream segments of the industry chain—electrolytes and battery cells—also delivered impressive results, yet structural issues lurk beneath the growth.

In May, key materials for sodium-ion batteries sustained their strong momentum, with both cathode and hard carbon anode recording sharp YoY and MoM growth. Top-tier players’ order books were full and capacity utilization rates approached their limits. On the supply side, the pattern of rising volumes and stable prices was pronounced, yet pressure to pass on rising raw material costs was also building.

Wu Kai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief scientist of CATL, said at the 2026 Equipment Power Forum that the company will achieve mass production of a series of sodium-ion battery products this year. Compared with lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries have abundant raw material resources and lower costs. Looking ahead, lithium-air batteries will be CATL's future direction. Wu Kai explained that lithium-air batteries use lithium as the negative electrode and oxygen from the air as the positive electrode reactant, offering ultra-high theoretical energy density and representing the next global battleground for next-generation batteries.