As competition heats up in India’s electric vehicle space, global automakers are now focusing beyond just launching new EVs. The next big battle is moving towards battery technology, localization and India-related research. In the same vein, Hyundai Motor Group has announced a major expansion of its EV research network in India.The company has expanded its Hyundai Center of Excellence (Hyundai CoE) initiative into a broader Indian academic and industrial collaboration focused on battery and electric technologies. With the latest expansion, the research platform now includes seven institutes and is currently working on 39 joint research projects across the country.As part of the expansion, Hyundai Motor Group has signed agreements with four new institutes: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur and Tezpur University. It joins three original partners from the beginning of 2025, namely Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.According to the company, the move is aimed at accelerating the development of EV technologies specifically tailored for Indian conditions. Areas of focus include battery cells, battery management systems, energy density, safety, stability and diagnostic technology.Hyundai says the platform is already driving 39 research projects through the CoE network. Some of the ongoing work includes the development of an AI-powered vehicle-to-grid (V2G) platform, as well as battery material and design research to suit Indian requirements.The company first launched the Hyundai CoE initiative in 2025 as part of a larger strategy to build strong industry-academia partnerships in India. Apart from research, the initiative will also include knowledge sharing programs between India and South Korea. Hyundai plans to introduce a Korea visiting program that will allow Indian and Korean researchers to share and exchange expertise on EV technologies and electrification.The company also plans to organize global e-conferences and technology forums that will involve government bodies, academic institutions and experts from the automotive industry. The talks will focus on emerging EV technologies and collaborative research opportunities.
