The battery unit of SK Innovation Co. 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 sales.
SK Battery America laid off 958 employees Friday, about 37% of its 2,566-person workforce, according to a notice filed with the state of Georgia. The factory in Commerce, Ga., supplied cells for Ford Motor Co.’s now-canceled electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck. It also supplies Volkswagen AG and Hyundai Motor Co.
“To align operations to market conditions, SK Battery America has made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce,” the company said in an emailed statement Friday. It “remains committed to Georgia and to building a robust US supply chain for advanced battery manufacturing.”
SK said 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 unraveling of the EV transition in key markets such as the U.S., where President Trump has eliminated purchase subsidies and is hollowing out fuel economy and emissions standards. SK Innovation said the end of the U.S. 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, isn’t expected to start production until 2028 and could supply both automotive and stationary storage cells, a spokesman said.
Coppola writes for Bloomberg.
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