South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group announced on Tuesday (local time) that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, to facilitate collaboration in future mobility initiatives. The signing ceremony was attended by Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun and President Chang Jae-hoon, who were joined by ?ngel Cabrera, President of Georgia Tech.

Under the MOU, both parties will collaborate on various future mobility projects, with a focus on research and development in areas such as battery technology, hydrogen energy, software, and advanced driver assistance systems. Hyundai Motor Group also plans to identify promising student startups nurtured by Georgia Tech to offer support and cooperation.

The decision to partner with Georgia Tech stems from the university’s outstanding research capabilities and access to top talent, particularly in the fields of mobility and future innovation. The university’s strategic location in Georgia, a state that houses Hyundai Motor Group’s U.S. electric vehicle production hub, also played a pivotal role in the selection.

Chung has consistently emphasized the importance of industry-academic partnerships in future technologies, innovation, and design. The collaboration with Georgia Tech has been in the works for over a year, starting with his visit to the construction site of Metaplant America, Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant.

“As the North American EV market expands rapidly, the significance of cultivating top talent in future mobility fields, such as battery technology, has grown. Through our partnership with Georgia Tech, we are establishing the foundation to discover and nurture outstanding future talents early on,” a Hyundai Motor Group spokesperson said.

Hyundai Motor Group’s first dedicated electric vehicle factory is currently under construction in Bryan County, Georgia. Georgia has a special connection with Hyundai Motor Group, dating back to 2006 when then Chairman Chung Mong-koo and his son, Eui-sun, then the President of Kia, selected West Point, Georgia, as the location for Kia’s first U.S. manufacturing facility.

Besides the favorable location conditions, Georgia’s proactive collaboration espoused by then-Governor (now Chairman of the Georgia Board of Regents) Sonny Perdue, played a crucial role in capturing the hearts of Hyundai Motor Group’s leadership.

Since its launch in November 2009 with the production of the new Sorento, Kia’s Georgia plant has become a major production hub for the U.S. market alongside Hyundai Motor’s Alabama plant.

By Lee Yu-sup and Minu Kim

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