Ford has committed $2 billion over the next two years to scale its new Ford Energy subsidiary, utilizing manufacturing facilities in Glendale, Kentucky, to churn out battery energy storage systems. The company aims to deploy 20 GWh of storage annually by 2027, bolstered by a five-year agreement to supply up to 4 GWh per year to EDF North America. Ford’s shift comes after the automaker faced a $19.5 billion write-down tied to its initial electric vehicle expansion efforts.

General Motors is pursuing a similar strategy, focusing on grid-scale sodium-ion technology through a partnership with Peak Energy. Beyond new manufacturing, GM is exploring circularity by repurposing second-life batteries for microgrid projects, such as the installation at Redwood Materials in Sparks, Nevada. This strategic realignment arrives as the U.S. energy sector reports record-breaking adoption of storage solutions, with 20.2 GWh of new capacity installed in the second quarter of 2026 alone. Driven by the energy demands of artificial intelligence and grid resilience requirements, both automakers are betting that their domestic manufacturing footprint can capture the surging market for utility-scale energy storage.