Hyundai Motor joins hands with IITs on battery, electrification research

Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday announced partnerships with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to establish a collaborative research system in the fields of batteries and electrification. The three institutes are IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras.

The Hyundai Center of Excellence (CoE), which will be set up within IIT Delhi, will operate through sponsorships from Hyundai Motor Group. The primary objective of the Hyundai CoE is to lead advancements in batteries and electrification, specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of the Indian market.

Hyundai Motor Group officials, along with IIT representatives, including Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi, Dean Sachin C. Patwardhan of IIT Bombay, and Dean Manu Santhanam of IIT Madras, attended a ceremony at IIT Delhi where they signed an agreement for the joint establishment of the ‘Hyundai Motor Group-IIT Hyundai CoE.’

“We are delighted to join forces with IITs, a group of leading engineering universities renowned for their exceptional education and research,” said Naksup Sung, Head of Hyundai Motor Group Research and Development (R&D) Planning & Coordination Center. “We believe that Hyundai CoE will cultivate a strong network of talented individuals from India's academic landscape, driving innovation and future growth.”

Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) plans to invest around $7 million over five years, from 2025 to 2029, to jointly conduct battery and electrification-related research with the four IIT universities. The collaboration will expand into areas such as software and hydrogen fuel cells.

The Group plans to contribute to the establishment of an electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in India. This will be done in conjunction with various policies for expanding EV distribution, implemented by the Indian government. The collaboration will involve the Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), the only EV-related research institute in India, located within IIT Delhi.

The Hyundai CoE will not only conduct joint research on academic-industrial cooperation tasks but also facilitate technical and human exchanges between battery and electrification experts from Korea and India. This will involve technical exchange meetings, special IIT lectures by Group battery and electrification experts, and the operation of Korean visit training programmes. The Group plans to continue efforts for fostering talent and mid- to long-term employment.

These partnerships align with the Group's efforts to expand its presence in India, following the successful IPO of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL). The Group believes that Hyundai CoE will play a pivotal role in strengthening not only HMIL’s commitment to India, reflecting the shared vision of mutual growth and collaboration but also its capabilities for research on advanced technologies and the development of India-specific products.