Key Points

This new collaboration will focus on cutting-edge research in battery innovation and electrification--crucial pillars of next-generation mobility.

As part of this initiative, nine joint research projects are already underway, targeting key areas such as battery cell development, testing systems, battery management systems (BMS), energy density enhancement, safety, durability, and diagnostic technologies.

The research will also delve into innovative materials and component systems, all with the aim of redefining battery design and performance.

The Hyundai CoE will be jointly steered by Chang Hwan Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the Electrification Energy Solutions Tech Unit at Hyundai Motor Group, and Prof. Bijaya Ketan Panigrahi from IIT Delhi.

Heuiwon Yang, President and Head of R&D Division at Hyundai Motor Group, said, "We're excited to work with India's brightest minds in battery innovation. Collaborating with leading researchers and IIT professors through the Hyundai Center of Excellence for future mobility technology will help us develop technologies tailored to India while contributing to its economy and society. We see this partnership with India's academia and industry as a foundation for building a sustainable future together."

The launch ceremony in New Delhi saw the participation of high-profile representatives from both Hyundai and Indian academia, including Unsoo Kim, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India Limited, and academic leaders from IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, and IIT Bombay.

This partnership also marks the first academic-industrial collaboration model by Hyundai in a growth economy, positioning the Hyundai CoE as a vital innovation hub. It complements the company's Future Technology Research Program, launched in 2021, which has now expanded to allow Indian university professors to propose and lead their own research topics--signaling a strategic shift toward more globalized and inclusive R&D.

Currently, Hyundai Motor Group collaborates with three IITs--Delhi, Bombay, and Madras--engaging around 30 professors. The company aims to scale this network to 10 Indian universities and approximately 100 professors by the end of 2025, including partnerships with non-IIT institutions.

To further solidify this collaboration, Hyundai is organising Technology exchange forums to bring together Indian and Korean experts, Global conferences focused on battery and EV innovations and Policy dialogues with stakeholders from government, academia, and industry.

- ANI