GM
The sodium-ion hype train is loading up
Morgan Stanley is effectively arguing that sodium-ion batteries could turn plain old salt into the next hot industrial input. The firm sees the market scaling from a tiny slice of global battery deployments today to 20% by 2030 and 37% by 2035 — which is a very fancy way of saying this niche could go from “science project” to “show me the supply chain.”
Why GM keeps popping up
The interesting part for equity folks: General Motors keeps showing up in the conversation. Morgan Stanley says GM has an “early foothold” in the U.S. through its partnership with Peak Energy, and the automaker has also been talking up stationary storage, bidirectional charging, recycling, and defense/mobility uses.
- GM already has more than 250,000 EVs on the road that can support bidirectional charging.
- Grid-scale storage deployments are expected after 2028.
- The company is also leaning into a circular battery supply chain with Redwood Materials.
The investor take
This isn’t a classic “sell cars, make money” story. It’s more like GM is building a battery-and-energy ecosystem while the market is still deciding whether sodium-ion is the next big thing or just another buzzword that sounds cool in a CNBC chyron.
Big picture: if sodium-ion really gets cheap enough and durable enough, GM’s early positioning could matter a lot more than the market currently gives it credit for.