SK On named to Fortune’s Change the World list

South Korea’s electric vehicle (EV) battery maker SK On is among innovative companies that have changed the world according to Fortune, a leading US business magazine, in a first for a global battery manufacturer.

On Sept. 27, Fortune named SK On, Tesla, General Motors and Charge Point as leaders of American electrification and jointly ranked them first among innovative companies changing the world. Since 2015, the magazine has honored about 50 innovative companies on its Change the World list based on their positive impact on society and the environment.

This year, 59 companies among some 250 nominees were selected. SK On is the first from South Korea to earn this distinction.

Fortune said SK On has invigorated US battery manufacturing and that by 2025, its plants will produce enough batteries to annually supply 1.5 million EVs in America.

After its plant in Glendale, Kentucky, is completed in 2025, SK On will have output capacity of over 180 gigawatt hours of production in North America alone.

Write to Il-Gue Kim at black0419@hankyung.com