General Motors is pushing into the energy storage business with a new sodium-ion battery chemistry aimed squarely at powering artificial intelligence data centers, according to CNBC. The move signals how the surging electricity appetite of AI infrastructure is pulling automakers well beyond the showroom floor.
According to CNBC, GM is expanding efforts to capitalize on expected growth in both energy storage and data centers, with next-generation sodium-ion batteries at the center of that strategy. Sodium-ion technology is attractive for stationary storage because it avoids the lithium and cobalt supply-chain pressures that complicate EV battery production.
The announcement arrives alongside a separate but related milestone: GM Energy is turning on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging for its customers, according to Wired. V2G lets a parked electric vehicle feed electricity back to a home or, eventually, the broader grid. Ars Technica reports that more than a quarter of a million V2G-capable GM EVs are already on U.S. roads, giving the company a substantial installed base to build on.
GM is not alone in sensing opportunity. According to TechCrunch, electricity demand from AI data centers is drawing other automakers, including Ford, into the energy storage market — a space long dominated by companies like Tesla through its Megapack product line.
The convergence matters because AI's power demands are growing faster than utilities can build new generation capacity, making grid-scale battery storage a critical bottleneck — and a lucrative one for any company that can crack it at scale.