Hyundai Motor India Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of South-Korea-based Hyundai Motor Company, announced plans to establish a hydrogen innovation centre in Chennai, India. The investment would be worth $21.44m and be located at the Thaiyur campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (ITTM).

The facility is being developed through a strategic partnership with the ITTM, Guidance Tamil Nadu, the government's investment promotion agency for the state of Tamil Nadu, and with the support of the state government.

The center will focus on developing the technology necessary for green hydrogen generation. This includes electrolyzer development, locating necessary manufacturing and supply chains, hydrogen mobility research and more.

ITTM director and professor V Kamakoti, remarked: "ITT Madras has continued to be the frontrunner in India's transformation into a technology and innovation superpower." He is optimistic that the partnership between Hyundai Motor India, the university and the state government will lead to "breakthrough innovations in the field of hydrogen mobility."

According to Hyundai Motor India's director and chief manufacturing officer Gopalakrishnan Chathapuram the company "remains committed to being a strategic partner in Tamil Nadu Government's vision of building a sustainable ecosystem for transition towards alternate fuels."

The innovation centre will house a fuel cell test station and pilot demonstrators using electrolyzers and fuel cells. It will also feature an electrolyzer test rig, an electrolyzer/fuel cell fabrication line, a diagnostic digital twin for hydrogen infrastructure, and a hydrogen refuelling station for research.

The centre is expected to be fully operational by 2026.