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SK Battery Firms Warn of Supply Chain Damage From US EV Rules

Trio of South Korean companies say Washington’s new electric vehicle tax credit rules have “impossible requirements”


South Korean battery maker SK On
SK Innovation's SK On warned of sudden price hikes because of the new rules. Photo: Reuters

 

South Korean battery makers have appealed to the US government to rethink its new US EV tax credit rules which they say are unrealistic and potentially damaging to an already brittle supply chain.

LG Energy Solution Ltd (LGES), SK Innovation’s SK On and Samsung SDI Co Ltd have warned Washington not to hold the sector to “impossible requirements” in comments submitted to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Under the new EV rules, to be implemented from January 1, 2023, at least 40% of the value of critical minerals for batteries need to be from the United States or an American free-trade partner for manufacturers to qualify for US tax credits. That will gradually rise to 80% in 2027.

 

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“It is extremely difficult to build most clean energy technologies, including EV batteries in the United States, without using certain foreign-made parts and, specifically, raw materials extracted or processed in China,” LGES said.

LGES added in its comment that transforming the supply chain cannot occur “overnight” and urged the United States not to hold the industry to “impossible requirements and timelines”.

LGES, SK On and Samsung SDI, three major South Korean battery makers that supply to automakers such as Tesla Inc, General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co among others, together command more than a quarter of the global EV battery market, according to SNE Research.

SK On echoed the concerns. “A limited interpretation would also risk unintended market outcomes, such as sudden price hikes for suppliers in specific countries, and unnecessarily concentrate processing in limited places,” SK On said.

“Such market distortions could create artificial costs and barriers along the supply chain.”

 

Supply Chain Flexibility Plea

Samsung SDI also urged the United States to implement rules that allow flexibility to meet supply chain requirements, adding that automotive supply chain contracts often last several years.

LGES has also asked the United States to establish a confidential process to share battery composition, pricing and sourcing information with the Treasury Department to ensure that such sensitive information is not disclosed to competitors.

The US Treasury and IRS started seeking public comment on the new law last month. A total of 821 comments from automakers, parts makers as well as foreign governments have been submitted to the IRS.

 

  • Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara

 

Read more:

Seoul Seeks Exemption so EV Makers Get US Tax Credits

Japan Warns US of Possible Jobs Hit From EV Tax Credit Rules

Auto CEOs Call on US Congress to Increase EV Tax Credit Limit

 

 

Sean O'Meara

Sean O'Meara is an Editor at Asia Financial. He has been a newspaper man for more than 30 years, working at local, regional and national titles in the UK as a writer, sub-editor, page designer and print editor. A football, cricket and rugby fan, he has a particular interest in sports finance.

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