Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) in collaboration with IIT Madras and Guidance Tamil Nadu has revealed the design of the Hyundai HTWO Innovation Centre, a state-of-the-art facility aimed at advancing green hydrogen research and development in India. The Centre will be built at the Discovery Campus of IIT Madras in Thaiyur, Chennai with support from the Tamil Nadu government.

Part of Hyundai’s ₹100 crore investment in hydrogen innovation in India, the Centre reflects the automaker’s commitment to sustainable energy. A portion of the funding is being routed through the Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) under its CSR initiatives.

Spanning 65,000 sq. ft. the HTWO Innovation Centre will be equipped with cutting-edge computational and experimental laboratories. Key focus areas include the development of digital twins for hydrogen infrastructure, pilot-scale testing of electrolyzers and fuel cells, the HTWO Innovation Centre will also serve as a testing facility for containerised demonstrators, which will be created there for industrial applications. The facility is designed to serve as a national hub for innovation across the green hydrogen value chain from production and storage to mobility and power applications.

Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Industries, Thiru T.R.B. Rajaa, who unveiled the design, highlighted the state’s ambition to become a hub for R&D in Asia. He praised the collaboration as a key step toward self-reliance in hydrogen production and underlined Tamil Nadu’s growing role as a leader in technology, education and sustainable development.

HMIL’s Managing Director, Unsoo Kim, described hydrogen as a “key pillar” of Hyundai’s global carbon neutrality goals. “The HTWO Innovation Centre will serve as an open platform for knowledge exchange, aligning with our commitment to ‘Make in India’ and fostering scalable, affordable hydrogen solutions,” he said.

IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti said the Centre will connect global stakeholders including academia, national labs, industry and policymakers to accelerate India’s progress toward its Net Zero target by 2070. “This initiative supports India’s goal of energy independence by 2047 and positions the country as a serious player in the hydrogen economy,” he noted.

The project builds on Hyundai’s global HTWO hydrogen platform and signals a major step in localizing the hydrogen ecosystem in India. Beyond technological innovation, the Centre aims to nurture a skilled workforce for the sector and strengthen public-private cooperation to fast-track green hydrogen adoption in the country.

Source:

Hyundai Motor India & IIT Madras Unveil the Design of Hyundai HTWO Innovation Centre : A Hydrogen Research Hub in Collaboration with Government of Tamil Nadu | Indian Institute of Technology Madras