Ford Motor Co.’s chief executive officer called on electric-vehicle battery giants LG Energy Solution Co. and SK Innovation Co. to resolve their intellectual property dispute to prevent disruptions in the supply chain.
In a post on Twitter Thursday, CEO Jim Farley said the court’s ruling still allows for Ford to launch its best-selling electric F-150 pickup next year, but that a deal between the rival South Korean battery makers would be better.
The LG Chem Ltd. unit, which supplies electric-car batteries to several carmakers including General Motors Co. and Tesla Inc., said it expects to meet with SK Innovation soon to talk about a settlement. That came after it won an International Trade Commission order banning imports of SK Innovation’s batteries to the U.S. for 10 years, with a partial reprieve to give Ford and Volkswagen AG time to get batteries they need while finding a new supplier.
The ruling, which also casts doubt on the future of SK Innovation’s under-construction battery plant in Commerce, Georgia, came after LG Chem accused SK Innovation of stealing its battery-making secrets. SK Innovation denied those allegations.