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| EV Industry Just Took a Hard Left as Ford and SK On Split Up |
The U.S. electric vehicle scene just got a jaw-dropper of a headline and, straight up, it’s not the usual “new model drops, range goes up” story. This week, South Korea’s battery giant SK On announced it’s ditching its joint venture with Ford Motor in the United States a deal that once promised to build electric vehicle battery plants right here on U.S. soil.
Yeah, you read that right. After all the hype about homegrown EV supply chains, cheap batteries, and building America’s electric future, the partner that was supposed to help make it happen is backing out. SK On will take full ownership of its Tennessee gig, while Ford will take full control of the plant in Kentucky. That twist comes amid a slowdown in EV battery shipments and weaker demand, and SK On wants to refocus on things like energy storage systems where it sees bigger money.
If you’re wondering what that means for U.S. electric car fans, here’s the real talk: this shift isn’t just a corporate shake-up, it highlights a big, global EV reset. While EVs keep selling worldwide and companies keep dropping new tech and models, the U.S. market has been lagging behind demand expectations especially compared to China and Europe. Global EV sales are still rocketing, but North America has been cruising slower than the rest of the world.
For Ford, this move could be a double-edged sword. On one hand, taking back control of the Kentucky plant gives the Blue Oval brand more say over battery production and costs long-term. On the other hand, losing SK On’s direct support here could slow down how quickly they scale up EV production. That matters because the next generation of Ford EVs including electrified trucks and affordable passenger EVs are counting on strong battery supply.
From a street perspective, EV buyers are gonna feel this if prices edge up or if certain hot models face longer waits. You hear all the hype about EV adoption exploding, but moves like this show the market is still figuring itself out in real time. It’s not all sunshine and tax credits — it’s also business wins, losses, and strategic pivots.
Meanwhile, experts say American EV adoption still has legs thanks to continued growth in charging infrastructure and a massive shift to electric vehicles globally. But if U.S. demand stays on the slow burner and battery costs stay high, some automakers may start making decisions that look less like “Build EVs in America” and more like “Go where demand actually pays.”
All that said, this is a big deal not just noise. When a major battery partner walks away from a U.S. EV venture, it tells you something real about how fast these cars are selling, where the money is flowing, and how automakers are betting on the future. For drivers and shoppers keeping one eye on tech and the other on deals and prices, this shift could foreshadow some of the bumps ahead as the EV revolution continues.
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