Hyundai Motor Group has announced partnerships with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to establish a collaborative research framework in batteries and electrification. The participating institutes include IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras.
The Hyundai Centre of Excellence (CoE), to be established at IIT Delhi, will operate with sponsorships from Hyundai Motor Group. The CoE's primary objective is to spearhead advancements in batteries and electrification, tailored to meet the unique needs 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 to sign an agreement for the joint establishment of the ‘Hyundai Motor Group–IIT Hyundai CoE'.
"We are delighted to join forces with the IITs, a consortium of leading engineering institutions renowned for their exceptional education and research," said Naksup Sung, Head of Hyundai Motor Group's Research and Development (R&D) Planning and Coordination Centre. "We believe that the Hyundai CoE will foster a robust network of talented individuals from India's academic landscape, driving innovation and future growth."
Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) plans to invest approximately USD 7 million over five years, from 2025 to 2029, for collaborative research with the IITs in batteries and electrification. The scope of the partnership will extend into areas such as software and hydrogen fuel cells.
The Group aims to contribute to the development of an electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in India, in alignment with the Indian government's policies to promote EV adoption. The collaboration will also involve the Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), India's only EV-focused research institute, located at IIT Delhi.
The Hyundai CoE will not only facilitate academic-industrial cooperation through joint research but also promote technical and human exchanges between battery and electrification experts from Korea and India. This includes technical exchange meetings, special lectures at IITs by Hyundai experts, and training programmes involving visits to Korea. These initiatives aim to foster talent and support medium- to long-term employment.
These partnerships reflect the Group's commitment to expanding its presence in India, following the successful IPO of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL). The Hyundai CoE is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing HMIL's dedication to India while advancing research on cutting-edge technologies and developing products specifically designed for the Indian market.
