Collaboration with IITs Aims to Advance Battery and Electrification Technology

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with three campuses of India’s premier engineering university, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), to establish the “Hyundai Innovation Center.” This collaboration aims to lead advancements in battery and electrification technology. The signing event was attended by Seong Nak-seop, executive vice president of R&D planning and coordination at Hyundai Motor and Kia, Ryu Jae-wan, executive director of India Regional Planning, Ranggan Banerjee, president of IIT Delhi, and Vijaya Ketan Panigrahi, dean of student affairs.

The joint research initiative involves IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras, which are among the most prestigious of the 23 IIT campuses across India. These institutions are renowned for their rigorous academic programs and innovative research, making them ideal partners for Hyundai and Kia’s ambitious technological goals.

Central to this initiative is the Hyundai Innovation Center, which will be based on the specialized research organization “Center of Excellence” (CoE) within the IITs. IIT Delhi currently operates 22 CoEs, and this new center will be tailored to the local industry-academic cooperation model. Unlike previous industry-academic methods that focused on single technology projects, this cooperation aims for continuous collaboration with top universities. By conducting joint research with the excellent faculty of the IITs through the Innovation Center, Hyundai Motor and Kia aim to secure cutting-edge technology in the battery and electrification fields. They will also solicit new research ideas from emerging faculty to discover technologies and functions specialized for the local market, establishing a core research network for future technology in India.

In particular, through close cooperation with the Center for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), India’s only electric vehicle research institute located within IIT Delhi, Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to contribute to building the electric vehicle ecosystem in India. This aligns with the Indian government’s electric vehicle distribution policy. Hyundai Motor and Kia will actively work on nurturing and hiring outstanding talent in the medium and long term by regularly organizing technology exchange meetings between battery and electrification experts from Korea and India, opening special lectures within the IITs, and operating Korean visit training programs.

Seong expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “We are pleased to be able to collaborate with outstanding talent from India’s top engineering universities through this Hyundai Innovation Center.” He added, “Hyundai Motor and Kia will lead advanced technology in the battery and electrification fields through mutual cooperation with Indian academia, growing together.”

A Hyundai Motor Group official emphasized that this industry-academic cooperation initiative is part of the local reinvestment of resources secured through the recent IPO of Hyundai Motor India. Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to establish a local development completion system centered on the India Technical Center, executing a long-term strategy to solidify their status as a core mobility company in India, fulfilling their role as a global small car development hub.

Hyundai Motor and Kia will invest approximately 10 billion won over five years starting in 2025 to conduct joint research with the IITs on battery and electrification technologies. This significant investment underscores the companies’ commitment to advancing the electric vehicle ecosystem in India and nurturing the next generation of engineering talent.

The Indian Institutes of Technology, established in 1951, have long been at the forefront of engineering education and research in India. Their collaboration with Hyundai Motor and Kia represents a significant step forward in the development of battery and electrification technology, with the potential to make substantial contributions to the global mobility landscape.

Source: Businesskorea