The electric Ford F-150 is still on track for release in 2022, but it’s unclear what Ford plans to do after SK Innovation’s import ban takes effect.
Ford
In May 2019, the US International Trade Commission voted to open an investigation into SK Innovation, a Korean battery supplier, based on allegations by competitor LG Chem that SK Innovation had stolen valuable trade secrets related to electric vehicle batteries. Now the USITC has made an official statement and it doesn’t look ideal for SK Innovation or the automakers who will rely on its components.
The USITC has given SK Innovation a 10-year ban from importing EV battery components to the US, Bloomberg reports, citing the USITC website. Following further allegations that SK Innovation destroyed evidence that could help LG Chem prove its case, the USITC only reached a decision this week, closing an investigation that had begun nearly two years ago.
However, SK Innovation is not immediately forced to stop working. The company has been given four years to continue to import components for the upcoming Ford F-150 electric variant, and it has been given a two-year stay to do the same for Volkswagen’s upcoming US electric vehicles that run on its scalable electric car from MEB. architecture.
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“The ITC decision supports our plans to bring the all-electric Ford F-150 to market by mid-2022,” a Ford spokesman said in a statement. In addition, Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, hoped in a Twitter post that the two companies could come to a voluntary settlement, which would be “in the best interest of American manufacturers and workers.”
“We will continue to analyze the US International Trade Commission’s ruling and its impact on Volkswagen,” said a spokesman for the automaker.
Representatives from LG Chem and SK Innovation did not immediately return requests for comment. SK Innovation told Reuters it “regretted” the USITC ruling, while LG Chem complimented it.
It is likely that the vehicles in question will require some modifications to accommodate batteries and components from different suppliers, but the question of exactly how much work is required remains to be seen. According to Bloomberg, Ford told USITC in May that “EV batteries can’t just be swapped like batteries in a flashlight.”