South Korean EV battery maker SK lays off 958 workers in Georgia
The company says that it’s pursuing customers in the automotive and stationary storage space
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[NEW YORK] The battery unit of SK Innovation is laying off more than a third of the workforce at its plant in Georgia as the South Korean manufacturer navigates a slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) sales.
SK Battery America laid off 958 employees on Friday (Mar 6), about 37 per cent of its 2,566-person workforce, according to a notice filed with the state of Georgia on Friday. The factory in Commerce, Georgia, supplied cells for Ford Motor’s now-cancelled electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck. It also supplies Volkswagen and Hyundai Motor.
“To align operations to market conditions, SK Battery America has made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce,” the company said on Friday. It “remains committed to Georgia and to building a robust US supply chain for advanced battery manufacturing”.
SK said that it’s pursuing customers in the automotive and stationary storage space.
The Associated Press earlier reported the news.
South Korea’s battery industry is reeling from an unravelling of the EV transition in key markets such as the US, where US President Donald Trump has eliminated purchase subsidies and is hollowing out fuel economy and emissions standards. SK Innovation said that the end of the US federal tax credit for EV buyers ate into profitability in the fourth quarter of 2025 despite increased shipments to Europe.
SK has a second battery plant in Georgia that will supply Hyundai and is expected to start production in the first half of 2026. Its other plant in Tennessee, formerly part of a joint venture with Ford, is not expected to start production until 2028 and could supply both automotive and stationary storage cells, a spokesperson said. BLOOMBERG
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