ATLANTA (AP) Battery company SK Battery America Inc. laid off nearly 1,000 workers at a manufacturing plant northeast of Atlanta on Friday amid automakers changing electrification plans and uncertain consumer demand for EVs.
The company said Friday 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 the $2.6 billion battery plant in Commerce, Georgia, 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 Korean company, the City of Commerce and the Jackson County commission chair did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Georgias EV footprint
Ford said in December that it would scrap the fully-electric version of its iconic pickup truck and opt for an extended-range version of the vehicle. A Ford spokesperson said it could not comment on supplier personnel actions.
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 also announced in June 2020 plans to pour $940 million to expand its battery manufacturing presence in Atlanta. At the time, Gov. Brian Kemps office said the expansion would create 600 jobs.
SK and Hyundai are still jointly building a $5 billion battery factory near Cartersville, northwest of Atlanta.
The state of Georgia has attracted other massive EV manufacturing investments, Rivians $5 billion factory and Hyundais own $7.6 billion factory complex among 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 reevaluating their multibillion-dollar electrification plans as financial losses mount and demand shifts.
Manufacturers including Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and others along with others across the EV supply chain have reneged on factory, investment and product plans, laid off workers and, instead, pivoted some of those efforts to hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
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 has eliminated tax credits of up to $7,500 for consumers purchases of new or used EVs.
The administration has also announced plans to weaken fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions rules for automakers, essentially eliminating any federal incentive for auto companies to make their vehicle fleets cleaner.
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St. John reported from Detroit.
亚特兰大（美联社）——由于汽车制造商电动化计划的变动以及消费者对电动汽车需求的不确定性，电池公司SK电池美国有限公司（SK Battery America Inc.）于周五在亚特兰大东北部的一家制造工厂裁员近1000人。
该公司表示，根据人力资源主管查克·摩尔（Chuck Moore）提交的《工人调整和再培训通知》（简称WARN通知），上周五（4月30日）是工厂958名员工的最后一个工作日。受影响的员工薪资将支付至5月6日。
SK集团于2022年1月在佐治亚州康默斯市投产了价值26亿美元的电池工厂，该工厂主要为福特F-150 Lightning电动皮卡提供电池。福特公司于12月宣布将取消该车型的纯电动版本生产计划。
这一消息传出之际，美国电动汽车市场正陷入停滞。特朗普政府将联邦支持从电气化转向更宽松的汽车排放政策，并推行一项更广泛的议程以支持石油和天然气行业。
这家韩国公司、商业市政府以及杰克逊县委员会主席的发言人未立即回应置评请求。
佐治亚州的电动汽车产业足迹
福特公司于12月宣布，将取消其标志性皮卡车型的纯电动版本，转而推出增程式版本。一位福特发言人表示，无法就供应商人事变动置评。
SK集团与福特汽车此前已共同向美国合资电池工厂投资114亿美元。该电池制造商于去年12月终止了这项合资计划。
近年来，随着汽车制造商们斥资数十亿美元推进电动汽车研发与生产计划，以及前总统乔·拜登领导的联邦政府大力支持构建本土电动汽车供应链，SK集团已对佐治亚州杰克逊县进行了重大投资。
该公司还于2020年6月宣布计划投资9.4亿美元扩建其在亚特兰大的电池制造业务。当时，州长布莱恩·肯普（Brian Kemp）的办公室表示，该扩建项目将创造600个就业岗位。
SK集团和现代汽车仍在亚特兰大西北部的卡特斯维尔附近合资建设一座价值50亿美元的电池工厂。
美国佐治亚州还吸引了其他大型电动汽车制造投资项目，其中包括Rivian公司投资50亿美元的工厂，以及现代汽车集团投资76亿美元的工厂园区。
电动汽车格局的转变
尽管电动汽车需求仍在增长，但近年来始终未达到汽车制造商雄心勃勃的预期。2025年电动汽车约占美国新车销量的8%，与上一年基本持平。
随着亏损加剧和需求变化，汽车制造商正在重新评估其数十亿美元的电气化计划。
包括福特、通用汽车、斯特兰蒂斯等在内的制造商——以及电动汽车供应链上的其他企业——已撤销工厂建设、投资和产品计划，并裁减员工，转而将部分资源投向混合动力及插电式混合动力电动汽车领域。
对于担心电动汽车续航里程和充电基础设施可用性的主流消费者而言，混合动力车和更高效的燃油车似乎更具吸引力。
与此同时，在唐纳德·特朗普总统任期内，国会取消了消费者购买新车或二手电动汽车最高7500美元的税收抵免政策。
美国政府还宣布计划放宽对汽车制造商的燃油经济性和温室气体排放标准，实质上取消了联邦政府鼓励汽车公司提升车队环保水平的任何激励措施。
圣约翰从底特律发回报道。
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