Per the local reports, South Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer SK On has resumed production of battery cells in the United States.

The company previously ceased operations after its client Ford Motor Company reported problems with the batteries that power its new F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck.

SK On had halted production at its plant in the US state of Georgia for a total of two weeks earlier this month, following reports of a fire affecting an F-150 Lightning pickup truck during the pre-delivery inspection stage at a Ford vehicle assembly plant in Michigan. An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the fire, and production on the F-150 Lightning line was also halted.

An SK On spokesperson in Seoul said in a statement “the incident was not an issue about source technology but a problem related to facilities and manufacturing operations. We established measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and have applied them to the production line”.

The nature of the problem was not disclosed, but industry insiders believe it was caused by a manufacturing process issue or even human error, given that no changes were made to the plant's facilities and equipment. The restart of production has allayed fears that a more fundamental problem with SK On's batteries existed. The F-150 Lightning is also expected to resume production and shipments by the end of the month.