Hyundai Motors Group, South Korea, signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur under the Hyundai Center of Excellence (HCoE) initiative during a ceremony held in New Delhi, India. With this collaboration, VNIT Nagpur has become the only National Institute of Technology (NIT) in India selected under Hyundai’s National Academic-Industrial Research Network for Battery Technology and Electrification.
The Hyundai CoE network now includes Seven Leading Institutes in India, namely IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kapur, IIT Hyderabad, VNIT Nagpur and Tezpur University. This initiative aims at accelerating research and development in battery and electrification technologies tailored for the Indian Market.
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May 14- 2026 - Time 10.30Hrs
Senior officials from Hyundai Motors Group attended the Agreement Signing Ceremony in New Delhi including Chang Hwan Kim, Head of Electrification Energy Solutions Tech Unit and Hyundai CoE Co-Chair; Tarun Garg, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India Limited; Eul Kyo Lim, Head of R&D Planning and Coordination Center; and Chang Yeon Cho, Head of Hyundai Motor India Engineering Center, alongside representatives from the seven partner institutes.
The research areas under the initiative include battery cells, battery management systems, energy density, safety, durability and diagnostic technologies. Some of the ongoing work includes battery design and material research suited for India as well as development of an AI-powered Vehicle-to-Grid platform.
It brings together the distinguished professors and emerging researchers from these seven institutes including VNIT, can create powerful synergies that will yield immense value for India’s sustainable growth. Hyundai also announced knowledge exchange initiatives under the program, including a Korea Visiting Program for Indian researchers, a Global e-Conference focused on emerging technologies and future tech forums involving Government, Academia and Industry Stakeholders.
From VNIT Nagpur, the MoU signing ceremony was attended by Prof. Y. B. Katpatal (Dean, Research & Consultancy), Dr. Manmohan Dass Goel (Associate Dean, Consultancy & Industry Interaction) and Dr Pradyumn Chaturvedi (Institute Coordinator Hyundai CoE @ VNIT).
The Hyundai CoE activities at VNIT Nagpur are being led by Dr. Pradyumn Chaturvedi. Dr. Chaturvedi played a key role in establishing this prestigious collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group and VNIT Nagpur through continuous interdisciplinary research interactions and academic collaborations in the field of battery technology and electrification power electronics system research. Dr Chaturvedi said that under this initiative, the Hyundai CoE at VNIT Nagpur will focus on industry-oriented research, interdisciplinary collaborative projects, training programs, global e-conferences and technology development for future electric mobility systems.
The establishment of Hyundai CoE at VNIT Nagpur is the outcome of ongoing interdisciplinary research activities funded by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) under Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA) program, titled “Sustainable Technology for Smart Off-Grid Renewable Energy Transformation and Electrochemical Storage Management”. This project is being carried out at the Power Electronics Research Laboratory (PERL), VNIT Nagpur under the leadership of Dr. Pradyumn Chaturvedi.
Before signing this MoU, A team from Hyundai Motors Group, including Mr. Siyun Kim and Chang Jin Kim, General Manager, visited VNIT Nagpur in March 2026 to interact and discuss to establish Interdisciplinary Hyundai Center of Excellence (HCoE) at VNIT Nagpur on Battery technology and Electrification Research and Product Development.
Under this HCoE, identified faculty members of VNIT from Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, and Computer Science & Engineering will work together to solve the industry problems given by Hyundai in the areas of Battery Technology and Electric Transportation.
Dr. Prem Lal Patel, Director VNIT, congratulated all team members and appreciated the efforts made by Team VNIT to have such a unique initiative and suggested to jointly submit the interdisciplinary research and development project under this prestigious CoE to get industry fund from Hyundai. He emphasized on capacity building in the areas of battery technology and electrification for future mobility sector for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Institute Coordinator HCoE@VNIT Dr. Chaturvedi informed that with the heavy penetration of Electric Vehicle and Renewable Energy Sources into the grid, this Industry Relevant and Industry Supported CoE will open avenues for the development of futuristic technologies in the areas of energy storage materials, thermal and cooling system, battery chemistry, physics of the storage system, storage management system, application of AI/ML in these areas and power electronic converter systems.
