GM Empower 2026: Scaling the future of electrification, batteries, and energy

By: the GM News editorial team

Editor's note: Below are the core, high-level narratives and announcements delivered by GM Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson at GM Empower, adapted to focus more on what was announced on stage during the event. See all the announcements in our collection:

• Meet Energy Pass: an easier way to charge on the go
• Why sodium-ion will reshape grid-scale energy storage
• Bidirectional EVs are here. Let's invest in them together.

We see a future where electric vehicles, batteries that power them, and the country's power grids work together.

In the past, major technology shifts were limited by slow processors or internet speeds. Today, the real bottleneck is energy. The global demand for electricity is skyrocketing, putting an incredible amount of strain on our traditional power grids.

At GM, we want to help relieve this pressure. We are developing batteries for large-scale, energy storage systems for utilities and major power users, while leveraging our connected electric vehicles to feed power back into the local, residential grids. Because we already manufacture batteries and EVs at scale, we are uniquely positioned to turn these into a real advantage for everyday people.

EVs as distributed energy resource

There are more than a quarter-million bidirectional-capable GM EVs on our roads today. When paired with GM's home energy systems¹, these EVs can become a residential power resource capable of sustaining a home for days during localized grid failures. These EVs and energy systems are also engineered to support vehicle-to-grid (V2G) power flow without requiring additional hardware iterations.

We are integrating bidirectional capability as a foundational standard across our entire portfolio, democratizing access from high-volume platforms like the Chevy Equinox EV to flagship vehicles like the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ.

By injecting flexibility into a historically rigid system, V2G technology simultaneously can lower aggregate energy costs, create a potential financial return for the consumer, and enhance the systemic reliability of the broader grid.

The current focus of our V2G technology is on the software layer: finalizing utility partnerships and grid protocols to make this interaction frictionless for the end user. We're inviting utility companies across the country to collaborate on the potential of this technology.

To successfully execute a vision of this scale we have started localized testing working alongside major utility partners:

• In Northern California: In collaboration with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), we project that by 2030, a localized fleet of 130,000 GM EVs will be operational, with over 52,000 systematically participating in grid-balancing protocols.
• In Michigan: We are testing with DTE Energy under real-world conditions to refine the experience.

Achieving the full potential of a decentralized energy network requires complete vertical integration. For GM, this means controlling the entire journey, from the chemistry of the battery cells to the intuitive tools right in our customers' hands.

With GM's mobile app, we're working toward a single interface to help people manage vehicle charging, home energy use, and, eventually, their relationship with the grid. All in one place.

The industrial anchor: Powering the future of grid-scale storage

To fix a power grid stressed by power-hungry AI data centers, we are also partnering with Peak Energy to develop and deploy built-for-purpose sodium ion chemistry for grid-scale storage systems. GM's dedicated battery labs are optimizing this chemistry for stationary applications that prioritize long-term chemical endurance and thermal dynamics. This underscores our core philosophy in battery development: applying the right battery architecture to the right application, on the road and on the grid.

The chemistries that drive electric vehicles demand high energy density and low weight to maximize range. Conversely, stationary energy storage demands longevity, high cycle and calendar life, and intense cost-efficiency.

This is not the first instance of GM participating in the energy storage space.

Our second-life battery packs are helping to power the largest microgrid in North America at Redwood Materials' installation in Sparks, Nevada. Building on that success, GM is now the first automaker working with Redwood Materials to create true circularity across the entire battery lifecycle.

Redwood plans to deploy roughly 100 of these repurposed battery packs at one of our operating plants in Michigan, providing 1.5 megawatts and 7.2 megawatt-hours of dispatchable energy directly to the site. This single installation is expected to save more than $3 million on local electricity bills over its lifetime.

By executing on this dual strategy of grid-scale storage and vehicle-to-grid integration, we are addressing the immediate energy constraints of today while establishing the architectural foundation for tomorrow.

¹ The GM Energy PowerShift Charger and GM Energy V2H Enablement Kit requires an adequately charged V2H-capable GM EV, a properly equipped home, and proper grid interconnection. Weather conditions, life of the battery, vehicle variation and usage, and other external factors may impact the capability and duration of power supply. Power supply may be interrupted. It is not recommended that the following devices be powered with the GM Energy PowerShift Charger and V2H Enablement Kit: Medical Devices.