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SK Lays Off Nearly 1,000 Amid Cooling Automaker EV Plans
Georgia Plant Supplied Discontinued Ford F-150 Lightning
ATLANTA — Battery company SK Battery America Inc. laid off nearly 1,000 workers at a manufacturing plant northeast of Atlanta on March 6 amid automakers' changing electrification plans and uncertain consumer demand for EVs.
The company said it marked the last working day for 958 plant employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, notice filed by human resources chief Chuck Moore. Impacted workers will be paid through May 6.
SK opened theÌý$2.6 billion battery plantÌýin Commerce, Ga., in January 2022. It notably supplied the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. Ford announced plans to cancel the fully electric version of the truck in December.
The news comes as the U.S. electric vehicle market is at a standstill amid the Trump administration steering federal support away from electrification in favor of more lax automotive emissions policies and a broader agenda supporting the oil and gas industries.
Spokespeople for the South Korean company, the City of Commerce and the Jackson County commission chair did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Georgia's EV Footprint
Ford said in December that it wouldÌýscrap the fully electric version of its iconic pickup truckÌý²¹²Ô»å opt for an extended-range version of the vehicle. A Ford spokesperson said it could not comment on supplier personnel actions.
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The SK plant supplied the Ford F-150 Lightning, which was discontinued in December. (Andrej Ivanov/Bloomberg)
SK and Ford had together previously invested $11.4 billion in joint battery plants in the U.S. The battery maker ended the joint venture in December.
SK has invested significantly in Jackson County in Georgia in recent years as automakers shored up plans to spend billions to develop and build EVs and the federal government under former President Joe Biden supported efforts to build out a domestic EV supply chain.
It had alsoÌýannounced in June 2020Ìýplans to pour $940 million to expand its battery manufacturing presence in Atlanta. At the time, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said the expansion would create 600 jobs.
SK and Hyundai are stillÌýjointly building a $5 billion battery factoryÌýnear Cartersville, northwest of Atlanta.
The state of Georgia has attracted other massive EV manufacturing investments,ÌýRivian's $5 billion factoryÌý²¹²Ô»å Hyundai's ownÌý$7.6 billion factory complexÌýamong them.
Shifting EV Dynamics
EV demand, while still growing, has not met automakers' ambitious expectations in recent years. EVs accounted for about 8% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. in 2025, much the same as a year earlier.
Automakers have been re-evaluating their multibillion-dollar electrification plans as financial losses mount and demand shifts.
Manufacturers including Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and others — along withÌýothers across the EV supply chainÌý— have reneged on factory, investment and product plans, laid off workers and, instead,Ìýpivoted some of those effortsÌýto hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Patrick Brennan of Cox Fleet talks about the common missteps that fleets make in planning for future maintenance and operational needs.ÌýTune in above or by going to .ÌýÌý
Hybrids and more efficient gasoline-powered vehicles are seemingly more palatable for mainstream buyers concerned about EV driving range and charging infrastructure availability.
Under President Donald Trump, meanwhile, Congress hasÌýeliminated tax credits of up to $7,500Ìýfor consumers' purchases of new or used EVs.
The administration has also announced plans toÌýweaken fuel economyÌýandÌýgreenhouse gas emissions rulesÌýfor automakers, essentially eliminating any federal incentive for auto companies to make their vehicle fleets cleaner.
