IIT Delhi And Hyundai Motor Group Opens Battery and Electrification Research Center

Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) today announced the opening of the Hyundai Center of Excellence (CoE) at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), establishing a joint research system to advance future mobility technologies focused on battery systems and electrification. This initiative reflects the Group’s commitment to fostering innovation tailored to the unique needs of the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market.

As part of its long-term academic-industrial cooperation framework, the Group has selected nine joint research projects in collaboration with IITs. These projects cover critical areas such as battery cells, systems and testing, and battery management systems (BMS), with a focus on enhancing energy density, safety, durability, and diagnostic technologies. The initiative also explores new materials and system components, driving forward innovation in battery design and performance.

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Hyundai Motor Group officials — including Heui Won Yang, President and Head of the R&D Division; Unsoo Kim, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India Limited; and Chang Hwan Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the Electrification Energy Solutions Tech Unit — attended the main agreement ceremony held in New Delhi. They were joined by IIT representatives, including Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi; Dean Manu Santhanam at IIT Madras; and Dean Sachin C. Patwardhan at IIT Bombay.

The Steering Committee of the Hyundai CoE will be co-chaired by EVP Chang Hwan Kim and Prof. Bijaya Ketan Panigrahi at IIT Delhi.

“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 will help us develop technologies tailored to India while contributing to its economy and society,” said Heui Won Yang, President and Head of R&D Division at Hyundai Motor Group. We see this partnership with India’s academia and industry as a foundation for building a sustainable future together.”

In parallel, the Group is expanding its FUTURE TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM, which has been in operation since 2021. Unlike the general operation methods of academic-industrial projects, the program allows university faculty members to propose their own research topics, which are then reviewed and selected by the Group. Previously limited to domestic universities and Korean professors at overseas institutions, the program will now, for the first time, include foreign faculties – beginning with professors at IITs. This marks a significant step in globalizing the Group’s academic collaboration efforts.

Starting with IIT Delhi, the Hyundai CoE will expand in phases to build a Pan-India network of experts, connecting leading researchers and institutions across the country. Currently, the Group collaborates with three IIT universities (IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras), engaging around 30 professors. By December 2025, it aims to expand its reach to 10 universities in India, including non-IIT institutions, with approximately 100 professors participating.

The Group is organizing a range of initiatives to further strengthen this collaborative ecosystem. These include technology exchange forums bringing together experts from both India and Korea, global conferences on battery and EV technologies to share insights on the latest trends and policies, and policy dialogue sessions that engage key stakeholders from the Indian government, academia, and industry to discuss the future of the mobility and electrification sectors.

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As the Group’s first academic-industrial collaboration model for a growth economy, the Hyundai CoE is set to become a central hub for research and innovation. It will play a key role in advancing future mobility solutions while fostering a strong, localized innovation base tailored to the evolving demands of the Indian market.