SK On and Ford Motor Company's joint venture in the United States, BlueOval SK, commenced its first commercial production of electric vehicle batteries on the 20th. This comes approximately 2 years and 8 months after construction began in December 2022.

BlueOval SK announced that the production line at its Kentucky Plant 1, with a capacity of 37GWh, has officially started operations. The Kentucky Plant 1 will produce batteries for Ford's electric pickup truck, the 'F-150 Lightning,' and the electric cargo van, the 'E-Transit.' The 37GWh capacity is sufficient to produce batteries for approximately 400,000 electric vehicles annually.

SK On and Ford each invested 50% to establish BlueOval SK in July 2022, committing a total of USD 11.4 billion (approximately KRW 16 trillion) to build three battery plants in Glendale, Kentucky, and Stanton, Tennessee. The operation date for Kentucky Plant 2 (45GWh) remains undecided, while the Tennessee plant (45GWh) aims to begin operations next year. The Tennessee plant's initial operation was planned for this year but was delayed due to the electric vehicle chasm (demand stagnation) and policy uncertainties.

SK On plans to accelerate its North American strategy alongside SK Battery America (SKBA) in Georgia, which began operations in 2022. It has been reported that SKBA's battery cell production lines are currently operating at 100% capacity. This is attributed to the Hyundai Motor Group's new plant in Georgia (HMGMA) entering full-scale operations after its completion in March. SK On is the sole supplier of batteries for Hyundai's electric vehicles manufactured in the United States.

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