WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Late Friday Volkswagen AG declared itself an “unexpected victim” in a battle between two battery suppliers and urged the U.S. government to extend a reconnaissance to buy batteries that were important to the electric vehicle production in their USA.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) met Wednesday with LG Chem in a trade secrecy issue, but allowed SK Innovation to import components for home production of lithium-ion batteries for the EV F-150 program at Ford Motor Co. for four years, and for Volkswagen of America’s electric vehicle line for two years.
VW said on Friday it would seek to extend its sculpture “to at least four years to allow for an appropriate transition period. Ultimately, however, we hope that both providers will resolve this dispute outside the courtroom. ”
The German automaker has invested $ 800 million to build electric vehicles in Tennessee and hire hundreds of workers. “Volkswagen will take all necessary steps to allow us to fulfill our commitment to provide skilled jobs to Tennessee’s proud workers,” the automaker said.
On Thursday, Ford CEO Jim Farley publicly urged LG Chem and SK Innovation to reach a settlement. VW and Ford have previously warned that the controversy could disrupt the supply of key EV components and cost U.S. jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Friday called on President Joe Biden to resign from ITC regulation, warning that long-term prospects for SK Innovation’s $ 2.6 billion battery plant in Jackson County, Georgia, “have been damaged very much.” The plant will eventually build batteries for Volkswagen and Ford.
The White House and SK Innovation rejected an opinion.
LG Energy Solution consultant Dave Callahan said the company is “still committed to negotiating a fair settlement for stealing their trade secrets” and said the Georgia facility will be able to operate.
“The only hurdle in resolving this issue and securing the future of the plant (SK Innovation) is refusing to admit it is wrong and make a correction,” he said. .
Reciting with David Shepardson; Edited by Shri Navaratnam