Trump wanted Korean battery builders to stay. How dependent is Europe on Korean EV battery makers?

More than 300 South Koreans detained in the United States have returned home after five days of detention following a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a Hyundai facility in Georgia.

Hyundai produces electric vehicles (EVs) and will soon make EV batteries with its partner LG Energy Solution at this manufacturing plant in Georgia.

President Donald Trump reportedly ordered a pause to check whether the employees were willing to remain in the US to continue working and training Americans, delaying the repatriation by a day.

Hyundai and LG’s joint ‘Metaplant’ project was slated to open its battery factory in 2026. However, the work on the battery plant was halted after the raid.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that South Korean companies already account for 40 per cent of US battery cell production capacity, a figure expected to rise to over 50 per cent by 2030.

The raid raises questions about the structure of global EV supply chains. Europe’s EV market is largely insulated from disruptions in the US, as automakers typically assemble vehicles and source key components close to their end markets.

Reports show that most EVs sold in Europe are built locally, both the vehicles themselves and increasingly their batteries. According to a 2024 market analysis report published by a joint EU research group IPCEI-Batteries, “80 per cent of European demand was already covered by cells produced in Europe by 2023”.

However, the continent heavily relies on South Korean-run factories for EV batteries. About 75 per cent of existing battery cell manufacturing capacity in Europe is owned by Korean companies, 50 per cent of which is owned by LG, according to the International Energy Agency. 

Korean chaebol conglomerates’ energy subsidiaries, such as LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On, began building gigafactories in Central and Eastern Europe to supply Europe’s growing EV market as early as 2016.

Mercedes-Benz is one of the biggest buyers of Korean EV batteries. In September, German automaker signed long-term battery supply contracts with LG Energy Solution with the ambition to produce 32 GWh of batteries by 2035 and an additional 75 GWh by 2037, according to media reports.

Where in Europe are EV battery plants located?

Most gigaplants in Europe are located in Poland, Hungary, and Germany.

In 2022, Poland became the world's second-largest producer of lithium-ion batteries, producing 60 per cent of all lithium-ion batteries made in Europe, according to a 2024 report by pan-European think tank, Strategic Perspectives, and international research group, Zero Carbon Analytics.

“[Poland became] the world’s second-largest producer of lithium-ion batteries, after China…These developments place Poland at the forefront of the global clean technology supply chain, boosting its strategic position in the European net-zero transition,” said the 2024 report.

This leadership is driven by Korean investment. The Polish city of Wroclaw houses Europe’s largest battery factory on an area of 100 hectares, an LG Energy Solution plant which produces about 86GWh per year and employs 9,500 workers, according to LG and the Polish local government.

The gigaplant supplies cells to Volkswagen Group, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz.

Hungary hosts Samsung SDI’s plant in the city of Göd, which supplies BMW and Volkswagen, and SK On’s Iváncsa and Komárom sites, which provide cells for Hyundai-Kia’s European operations and Ford.

Chinese battery maker CATL began cell production in Thuringia, Germany, in 2022 for BMW and Volkswagen. It currently produces around 8 GWh per year, with plans to increase to 14 GWh per year. 

However, the European Commission has been actively pushing for a self-sufficient battery supply chain. In 2017, it launched the European Battery Alliance (EBA) to create its own manufacturing. 

The Commission is now drafting legislation to introduce minimum EU content requirements for cells and components in electric vehicles sold in Europe.