Hyundai Motor, Georgia Tech partner for future mobility tech

Hyundai Motor Group has chosen Georgia Tech as its new academic partner in the US to work together on developing sustainable mobility technologies and experts as part of its push to lead the future mobility sector.

The South Korean auto giant on Tuesday announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Georgia Tech, a renowned public engineering and technology research university in the US, for the joint research and development of sustainable and future mobility technologies.

They have also agreed to groom mobility technology experts through various joint projects and programs.

Georgia Tech is located in the state of Georgia, where Hyundai Motor Group’s first US auto manufacturing plant, Kia Corp.'s factory, is located.

As the state is soon to add a new EV plant for Hyundai Motor Co., Kia and its luxury marque Genesis models, the latest partnership is expected to create great synergy in the development of the company’s mobility technologies.

Hyundai Motor is currently building the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, a new electric vehicle and battery-dedicated plant, in Bryan County, Georgia with an investment of $7.59 billion.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Euisun attended the signing ceremony on Tuesday at Georgia Tech, joined by Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera, University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue, Hyundai Motor President and CEO Jay Chang and Hyundai Motor President and Global COO José Muñoz.

Perdue was the Governor of Georgia at the time of the Kia Georgia plant’s opening.

DEEPENED PARTNERSHIP

Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly research and develop sustainable mobility technologies, including battery and hydrogen energy technologies.

Georgia Tech will carry out various related research projects with the Hyundai America Technical Center Inc., the Korean auto giant’s design, technology and engineering arm in North America, and the Namyang R&D Center, Hyundai Motor’s R&D center in Korea.  

They will also support promising startups at the university for future collaboration.

Hyundai Motor and Georgia Tech will work together to nurture future mobility technology talent by allowing Georgia Tech students to participate in their joint technology development projects.

The Korean auto group will actively recruit its future mobility experts from the school through various programs, including a summer internship program.  

They will also open technical and leadership development programs for Hyundai Motor employees to help them sharpen their skills and learn new technologies.

As part of efforts to enhance their partnership, Hyundai Motor has also pledged sponsorship for Georgia Tech’s sports team. Under the sponsorship agreement, the school’s Bobby Dodd Stadium has been renamed Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.

“I look forward to working with Hyundai leaders to deepen our partnership as we work to develop exceptional leaders and produce new ideas that will shape the automotive industry and advance mobility in the future,” said Georgia Tech President Cabrera.

“We are thrilled to create a partnership with Georgia Tech that includes research and applications to support the future of sustainable mobility, hydrogen economy, workforce development, and smart cities, among many other areas of cooperation, said Hyundai Motor President and CEO Chang.

EXTENSIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH ACADEMIA 

Hyundai Motor is actively seeking collaboration with academic institutions to lead the development of future mobility technologies.

It in July opened a battery research center at Korea’s most prestigious university Seoul National University to jointly run the center to develop next-generation battery technologies.

It is currently carrying out joint projects to develop new electric vehicle battery technologies with professors and students from not only Seoul National University but also other local science and technology research universities, including Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST) and Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST).  

The company also sponsors undergraduate and graduate programs at other local universities, including Korea University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University and Sungkyunkwan University to expand its talent pool in future mobility technologies. Students in such sponsored programs are guaranteed jobs at Hyundai Motor immediately after graduation.

Write to Il-Gue Kim at black0419@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.