Hyundai Motor Company announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its new research partner University College London (UCL) on “Cooperation in areas of Research and Development for Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Fuel Cells, and Electrification Technology.”
“Through joint research with UCL, one of the UK’s leading research universities, we will accelerate the pace of technological innovation in hydrogen production, fuel cells, and electrification. We hope that this collaboration will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, which is a goal shared by Korea and the UK,” said Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.
With both South Korea and the United Kingdom striving for carbon neutrality by 2050, Hyundai Motor hopes to utilize this MOU to accelerate the development of a hydrogen ecosystem by jointly researching future mobility technologies with UCL to achieve carbon-neutral hydrogen production, fuel cells, and electrification. The partners also hope to collaborate on research for advanced materials, proprietary technologies, and basic industrial technologies.
The MOU will also allow Hyundai Motor to accelerate the development of a sustainable mobility ecosystem through the continued research and development of eco-friendly technologies. This effort supports Hyundai Motor’s plan to sell only zero-emission electrified vehicles by 2040 in major markets and replace 100% of its global operations’ electricity demands with renewable energy by 2045.
“New technologies, such as hydrogen generation, electric vehicles, and fuel cells, are a fundamental part of international efforts to keep the global temperature rise within the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. This partnership will combine UCL’s world-leading engineering research with Hyundai’s expertise… to accelerate the development of these vital technologies,” said Dr. Michael Spence, President and Provost at University College London.
University College London is a research-oriented university that has ranked among the top 10 universities in the world for more than a decade. UCL considers itself a leader in hydrogen-related technologies and recently strengthened its capabilities in automotive electrification research by establishing its Advanced Propulsion Laboratory in 2023.
