Hyundai Motor and Kia Partner with Seven Top Indian Engineering Universities for Core EV Technology Research

Collaboration with Three Leading IITs in India Since 2023
Establishment of the Hyundai Innovation Center as an Industry-Academia Cooperation Model
Hyundai Innovation Center Expands Joint Research Network Across India

Hyundai Motor and Kia are partnering with India's top engineering universities to secure core technologies in the electric vehicle battery and electrification sectors.

From the left in the first row: Amarendra Kumar Das, Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University; Changhwan Kim, Vice President in charge of Electrification Energy Solutions at Hyundai Motor and Kia, and Co-Chairman of the Hyundai Innovation Center; Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha, Advisor of Hyundai Innovation Center; Ashwini K Agrawal, Dean of IIT Delhi; Tarun Garg, President of Hyundai Motor India Regional Headquarters; Bijaya Ketan Panigrahi, Dean of Student Affairs at IIT Delhi and Co-Chairman of Hyundai Innovation Center. From the left in the second row: Eulgyo Lim, Executive Director of R&D Planning and Coordination at Hyundai Motor and Kia; Coimbatore Subramanian Shankar Ram, Vice Dean of IIT Madras Coimbatore; Shrikrishna Vyankatesh Kulkarni, Dean of IIT Bombay; Tarun Gupta, Dean of IIT Kanpur; Garikapati Narahari Sastry, Dean of IIT Hyderabad; Yashwant Bhaskar Katpatal, Dean of VNIT Nagpur; Changyeon Cho, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor and Kia India Technology Institute.

On May 15 (local time), Hyundai Motor and Kia announced that four universities—Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur, and Tezpur University—have signed agreements to participate in a joint research framework with the Hyundai Future Mobility Innovation Center (Hyundai Innovation Center).

The signing ceremony was attended by Tarun Garg, President of Hyundai Motor India Regional Headquarters; Changhwan Kim, Vice President in charge of Electrification Energy Solutions at Hyundai Motor and Kia and Co-Chairman of the Hyundai Innovation Center; Garikapati Narahari Sastry, Dean of IIT Hyderabad; Tarun Gupta, Dean of IIT Kanpur; Yashwant Bhaskar Katpatal, Dean of VNIT Nagpur; and Amarendra Kumar Das, Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University, among other university officials.

IIT, established in 1951, is India's premier engineering education institution, operating 23 campuses across the country. It is renowned worldwide for its innovative technology research and for cultivating exceptional talent.

VNIT Nagpur is a national technical university located in Nagpur, Maharashtra, a central hub of transportation and industry in India. The university excels in securing technical talent and applied research in fields such as EV systems, thermal management, power electronics, and charging infrastructure.

Tezpur University, established in 1994, is a public central university under the Indian central government and serves as a regional research hub specializing in the northeastern part of India.

In April last year, Hyundai Motor and Kia officially launched the Hyundai Innovation Center, a strategic mid- to long-term industry-academia cooperation model with leading universities such as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIT Bombay. The goal is to enhance market responsiveness through collaborative growth with India’s technology and manufacturing sectors.

With the signing of these agreements, four more top engineering universities have joined the industry-academia cooperation ecosystem, effectively expanding the joint research system of the Hyundai Innovation Center across India.

As a result, a total of seven top universities across India, led by the Hyundai Innovation Center, will carry out 39 industry-academia research projects, including studies on batteries and electrification, advanced material research, and the development of AI-based V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) platforms.

Through joint research with India’s top talent, Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to focus on developing battery designs and electrification performance tailored to local needs, while also emphasizing the cultivation of outstanding talent and strengthening future mobility development capabilities.

As part of this industry-academia research, in June, deans and professors from all seven participating universities will be invited to Korea to engage in in-depth discussions on cooperation and participate in programs that allow them to experience Hyundai Motor and Kia’s strategies, technologies, and vision.

Additionally, global scholars and industry experts will participate in an "e-Conference" to discuss the latest technological trends in the battery and electrification sectors. Government officials and representatives from research institutes affiliated with the Indian government will also be invited to technical policy roundtables, creating a platform for public, private, and academic collaboration. These initiatives aim to go beyond mere technology exchange between the two countries and lay the foundation for organic cooperation, including the proposal of industry standards needed for electrification.

With this expansion of participating universities, Hyundai Motor and Kia aim to further strengthen their collaboration with the global academic community and accelerate the advancement of the industry-academia cooperation ecosystem to ensure that the advanced technologies developed through joint research translate into enhanced global product competitiveness.

Changhwan Kim, Vice President in charge of Electrification Energy Solutions at Hyundai Motor and Kia, stated, "The master agreement we are signing today is more than just a contract—it is a shared promise for the future. Hyundai Motor Group and Indian academia will work together to create a sustainable, innovative, and brighter future."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor and Kia achieved record sales in the Indian market in the first quarter, maintaining a trajectory of continuous growth. Recently, the companies also signed a business agreement with local firm TVS Motor Company for the development and commercialization of a three-wheeled electric vehicle (E3W) tailored to the Indian market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.