WASHINGON/SEOUL — South Korean battery makers LG Chem and SK Innovation are sparring over whether or not the U.S. Worldwide Commerce Fee ought to contemplate latest EV remembers in a commerce secrets and techniques case.

LG Chem, an EV battery provider for Tesla and Basic Motors, filed its commerce complaints in opposition to SK Innovation final yr within the U.S. Alleging commerce secret theft, LG seeks to dam SK from producing battery cells within the U.S. and from importing the elements essential to make them.

SK has denied wrongdoing. 

Final month, SK requested the ITC to contemplate that “LG Chem batteries have been concerned in a collection of fires and explosions, elevating substantial public curiosity considerations.”

Within the request, SK mentioned Basic Motors and Hyundai Motor Co. had every issued latest remembers for EVs with LG Chem batteries. The remembers “increase questions of public security and underscore the vital want for SK batteries in america,” the corporate mentioned.

It added the fires are “compelling grounds” to not impede SK’s potential to fabricate batteries at its U.S. plant. LG Chem in a response filed Wednesday mentioned the submitting was “premature and irrelevant” and shouldn’t issue within the ITC assessment “as a result of the electrical car remembers cited by SKI don’t influence future-year battery fashions and don’t influence EVs with batteries manufactured in LG Chem’s Holland, Mich., plant.”

GM mentioned final month it was recalling 68,677 EVs worldwide for high-voltage batteries after 5 reported fires and two minor accidents. In October, Hyundai recalled practically 77,000 Kona EVs worldwide, saying doable defects in battery cells elevated fireplace dangers.

The ITC is predicted to have a call on the matter subsequent week. An adversarial ruling may probably trigger setbacks for Volkswagen Group and Ford Motor Co. as they transfer to construct new electrical automobiles utilizing SK Innovation’s batteries and elements. SK is constructing a $2.6 billion battery plant in Georgia to provide Ford and VW.