As competition in India’s electric vehicle space continues to intensify, global carmakers are now focusing beyond just launching new EVs. The next big battle is shifting toward battery technology, localisation and India-specific research. In line with this, 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 larger pan-India academic and industrial collaboration focused on battery and electrification technologies. With the latest expansion, the research platform now includes seven institutions 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 institutions: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur and Tezpur University. These join the three original partners from the 2025 launch, namely Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.According to the company, the initiative is aimed at accelerating the development of EV technologies tailored specifically for Indian conditions. The focus areas include battery cells, battery management systems, energy density, safety, durability and diagnostic technologies.Hyundai says the platform is already advancing 39 research projects through the CoE network. Some of the ongoing work includes battery material and design research optimised for Indian requirements, along with development of an AI-powered Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) platform.The company had first launched the Hyundai CoE initiative in 2025 as part of a larger strategy to build stronger industry-academia partnerships in India. Apart from research, the initiative will also include knowledge-sharing programmes between India and South Korea. Hyundai plans to introduce a Korea Visiting Program that will allow Indian and Korean researchers to collaborate and exchange expertise related to EV technologies and electrification.The company also plans to organise global e-conferences and technology forums involving experts from government bodies, academia and the automotive industry. These discussions will focus on emerging EV technologies and collaborative research opportunities.
