ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – Hyundai Motor Group has partnered with Georgia Tech to advance future mobility technologies, encompassing battery, hydrogen, and software development. The collaboration, formalised with a memorandum of understanding signed by Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Hyundai Motor Company Chief Executive Officer Chang Jae-hoon, aims to promote sustainable mobility and foster talent development at Georgia Tech in the United States (US).
“On behalf of all of us at Hyundai Motor Group, 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 Chang.
“Today is the beginning of a partnership that will last for decades, and this partnership is one of the reasons why we chose Georgia for our (electric vehicle) investments.”
Hyundai Motor Group has a cumulative investment of USD12.6 billion in Georgia’s electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing facilities. This includes the USD7.59 billion Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) site in Bryan County and the USD5 billion joint venture battery manufacturing plant with SK On in Bartow County. According to Hyundai, the proximity of these facilities to Georgia Tech was one of the essential considerations in deciding their locations.
The automaker said the Georgia Tech partnership reflects Chung’s will to highlight the significance of cooperating with leading universities across the globe.
Hyundai Motor Group’s relationship with Georgia also dates back to the past leadership of now Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-Koo, the father of Chung Euisun.
In 2006, Chung Mong-koo, who was then Hyundai Motor Group’s executive chair, and Chung Euisun, who was the president of Hyundai’s sister firm Kia, picked Georgia’s West Point as the site for Kia’s first US assembly plant.
The Kia Georgia plant has produced over four million vehicles since it began production in 2009.
University System of Georgia chancellor Sonny Perdue, who participated in Tuesday’s memorandum ceremony, was the governor of Georgia at the time of the Kia Georgia plant’s opening.
