{"text":[[{"start":7.75,"text":"General Motors is developing new battery technology using sodium ions to expand its energy storage business in the latest pivot by a US carmaker to capitalise on surging electricity demand from the AI boom."}],[{"start":21.5,"text":"The Detroit automaker will partner with Peak Energy, a US start-up, to scale up production of the batteries using North American supply chains from 2028."}],[{"start":30.35,"text":"Kurt Kelty, head of GM’s battery business, told the FT that the technology would be “manufactured here by Americans with American management” and would seek to “leapfrog” Chinese rivals that dominate the global battery sector."}],[{"start":44.900000000000006,"text":"GM’s announcement comes less than a month after rival Ford launched its new energy unit, sparking a surge in its share price, as it shifts from electric vehicles to providing battery storage capacity for energy companies and Big Tech groups building AI data centres. Ford will be using technology licensed from China’s CATL."}],[{"start":63.550000000000004,"text":"Automakers’ interest in battery storage has been fuelled by declining demand for EVs in the US after the Trump administration revoked rules to cut vehicle emissions, prompting the groups to repurpose car batteries. "}],[{"start":75.95,"text":"GM and its partner LG Energy have also announced plans to convert the capacity of some lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for EVs to energy storage. But Kelty said sodium-ion batteries were better suited to scale up GM’s energy storage business than their lithium-based counterparts, whose production is dominated by Chinese groups, including CATL and BYD."}],[{"start":99.05000000000001,"text":"Sodium-ion batteries are made using sodium salt, which is more abundantly available and cheaper than lithium. They also work at very high and low temperatures, removing the need for an active cooling system that uses up energy. "}],[{"start":113.15,"text":"With a reduction in maintenance and other expenses, GM will aim to offer batteries that enable utilities and other clients to cut their long-term energy storage costs."}],[{"start":124,"text":"“Instead of making an LFP cell that everybody else makes using Chinese technology that everybody else is using . . . we’re developing a better technology that enables us to leapfrog the competition,” Kelty said. "}],[{"start":135,"text":"GM’s partner in the project, Peak Energy, last year signed a $500mn deal with energy developer Jupiter Power to deploy up to 4.75 gigawatt-hours of sodium-ion battery storage by 2030."}],[{"start":149.6,"text":"Kelty said GM had not decided where to manufacture the cells but ultimately aimed to use supply chains from North America. The company plans to produce thousands of cells at its battery cell development centre in Michigan by 2028, before scaling up to mass production."}],[{"start":167.35,"text":"Some analysts have questioned how quickly the relatively new technology can be deployed, with research group Benchmark Mineral Intelligence last year cautioning that it was “not ready to go mass-market and the current positive sentiment is driven by hype”. "}],[{"start":181.15,"text":"CATL and BYD are already among the biggest manufacturers of sodium-ion batteries, raising questions about whether western manufacturers can compete on the same scale with their Chinese rivals."}],[{"start":194,"text":"Kelty acknowledged that the energy density of sodium-ion batteries was lower than that of LFP batteries, making it a key bottleneck for EVs, but stressed that this was not the case for batteries that do not move. "}],[{"start":212.95,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1781067361_8395.mp3"}