# The batteries can be the size of shipping containers.

*robotics, business · news · 2026-06-09 · The New York Times*

## Key points

- General Motors will start making large-scale storage batteries to enter the energy storage market.
- Ford repurposed a Kentucky factory from EV batteries to large storage batteries due to weak EV sales.
- Congress eliminated up to $7,500 in EV tax incentives, prompting automakers to cut EV production.
- Tesla has offered commercial-scale storage batteries since 2015, ahead of these recent moves by rivals.

General Motors plans to begin making large storage batteries, the company said Tuesday, joining Tesla, Ford Motor and other carmakers in pushing into a growing market and compensating for slower sales of electric vehicles in the United States. The batteries, which can be the size of shipping containers, store excess energy from solar panels, wind turbines and other power sources. Utilities, data centers and other big energy consumers use them for backup power or to manage fluctuations in electricity supply or demand. Tesla has been selling storage batteries since 2015. Ford said last year that it would convert a factory in Kentucky to make large batteries, after shutting down production of electric vehicle batteries at the plant because car sales fell short of expectations. Making storage batteries, which Tesla and other companies also produce in smaller sizes for homes, could help automakers get a better return on the investments they have made in battery factories. G.M. and other U.S. carmakers have scaled back production of electric vehicles after Congress last year eliminated tax incentives that could be worth up to $7,500. Sales slumped, forcing G.M., Ford, Stellantis and Honda to report billions of dollars in losses from electric vehicle investments that now won’t pay off. At the same time, most automobile executives expect electric vehicles to gradually replace vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel. Sales of battery-powered models are surging in much of the rest of the world because of rising fuel prices caused by the war in Iran. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

**Companies:** General Motors, Tesla, Ford Motor
**Countries:** United States

[Read the full story on The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/business/energy-environment/general-motors-storage-batteries-electric-vehicles.html)

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