Hyundai, IIT-M join hands to set up Rs 180 cr hydrogen research hub in TN

Chennai, Jul 8 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T R B Rajaa on Tuesday unveiled the design for the Rs 180-crore 'Hyundai HTWO Innovation Centre'—a hydrogen research hub to be established at the Discovery Campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

The initiative is the result of a collaboration between the Tamil Nadu government, Hyundai Motor India, and IIT Madras, formalised during the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet in January 2024.

The state-of-the-art R&D hub aims to serve as a catalyst for innovation in green hydrogen technology and its ecosystem. The centre is expected to be operational by 2026.

The design was unveiled at an event in Chennai by Minister Rajaa, in the presence of senior government officials and Hyundai Motor India MD Unsoo Kim.

"What the efforts of Hyundai Motor India and IIT Madras bring to my mind are the incredible capabilities of India, and we are here to celebrate exactly that. The possibilities that exist in this remarkable place are only now being recognised by the rest of the world," Rajaa said at the event.

Emphasising Tamil Nadu's role in national growth, he said the State is India’s auto, electronics, and tech capital, driven by its strong talent base and culture of embracing education. "That’s what IIT Madras represents—celebrating human capital and showing how people can be changemakers," he added.

Rajaa expressed hope that Tamil Nadu would become not just India’s, but Asia’s R&D capital.

"We should leapfrog into the future and solve tomorrow’s problems—that’s what we’re doing here," he said.

According to Hyundai officials, ‘HTWO’ stands for 'H2' (the hydrogen molecule), while also symbolising ‘Hydrogen’ and ‘Humanity’ —the twin pillars of Hyundai’s fuel cell business.

"HTWO is Hyundai’s global identity for this initiative," a company official told PTI.

Hyundai Motor India MD Unsoo Kim said hydrogen is a key pillar in achieving global carbon neutrality.

"With the Hyundai HTWO Innovation Centre, we aim to foster an open platform for knowledge exchange by enabling collaboration between global expertise and India’s green hydrogen ecosystem." He added that the initiative reflects Hyundai Motor India’s commitment to 'Make in India' by empowering local innovation, nurturing talent, and supporting the development of scalable, affordable, and sustainable hydrogen solutions.

Spread across 65,000 sq ft at IIT Madras’ Thaiyur campus, the Centre will feature advanced computational and experimental labs.

It will focus on the development of digital twins of hydrogen infrastructure, customised test rigs, and fabrication lines, enabling pilot-level evaluation of electrolysers and fuel cells. The facility will also host test zones for containerised demonstrators of industrial-scale products.

IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti said the centre will engage with stakeholders across the hydrogen ecosystem—including academia, R&D labs, industry, and policymakers—at a global level.

"This initiative will support India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat goals in the hydrogen sector and significantly contribute to sustainability and decarbonisation targets aimed at achieving Net Zero by 2070," Kamakoti said.

The facility will focus on advancing hydrogen solutions in the mobility and power sectors, with a strong emphasis on localisation of the hydrogen value chain, public–private collaboration, and pilot infrastructure development. PTI VIJ SSK VIJ SSK ROH