Hyundai's upcoming electric SUV, the Ioniq 9, is utilizing drones for reforestation efforts.
Hyundai Motor Company has unveiled an innovative solution to aid in global reforestation efforts: the Ioniq 9 Seed Ball Drone Station. This specially modified electric SUV serves as a mobile drone launch and control station, designed to target reforesting work more accurately, particularly in wildfire-affected areas.
The third row of seats in the Ioniq 9 has been transformed to create a workspace, complete with a swivel seat, dual monitors, and a dedicated computer for real-time drone mission management. This setup enables forestry professionals to operate drones without leaving the vehicle.
A deployable platform folds out from the trunk, serving as a takeoff and landing zone for the quadcopter drones. The Ioniq 9’s battery powers the drones directly, eliminating the need for external generators and reducing disturbance to fragile ecosystems by minimizing noise and vibrations.
The drones used in this system are known as Seed Ball Drones. These lightweight devices drop clay-based seed balls containing seeds, soil, and nutrients over targeted areas to stimulate natural forest regrowth. This method is low-impact, highly efficient, and is especially suited to difficult-to-reach forest zones after wildfires.
The Ioniq 9 Seed Ball Drone Station runs on zero tailpipe emissions, supporting Hyundai’s sustainability goals by enabling restoration without environmental disruption.
This innovative setup supports Hyundai’s Ioniq Forest project, a charitable global reforestation initiative active in 13 countries, including the U.S. and South Korea. The vehicle has already been deployed in wildfire aftermath zones such as Uljin, South Korea, an area devastated by wildfires in 2022.
This effort builds on Hyundai’s previous drone-based ecological monitoring vehicle, the Ioniq 5 Monitoring Drone Station, expanding from forest health assessment to active restoration.
In 2024, Hyundai entered into a five-year partnership with the Korea National Arboreta and Gardens Institute. The company plans to roll-out Ioniq-based drone stations to its forest projects in the near future, with reforestation efforts extending to countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, and the United States.
In summary, Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 Seed Ball Drone Station integrates cutting-edge EV, drone, and ecological restoration technologies into a self-contained unit that can access remote or damaged forests, efficiently dispersing native seeds to aid global reforestation efforts while minimizing environmental impact.
- The Ioniq 9 Seed Ball Drone Station, an electric car by Hyundai Motor Company, serves as a mobile drone launch and control station for global reforestation efforts.
- The drones used in this system, Seed Ball Drones, drop clay-based seed balls over targeted areas to stimulate natural forest regrowth, especially in wildfire-affected zones.
- Hyundai's Ioniq 9 is equipped with a workspace that enables professionals to operate drones without leaving the vehicle, reducing on-site disturbance to fragile ecosystems.
- The Ioniq 9's battery powers the drones directly, eliminating the need for external generators and minimizing noise and vibrations.
- This innovative setup contributes to Hyundai’s Ioniq Forest project, a global reforestation initiative active in 13 countries, including the U.S. and South Korea.
- Hyundai plans to roll-out Ioniq-based drone stations to its forest projects in the near future, with reforestation efforts extending to countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, and the United States, as part of a five-year partnership with the Korea National Arboreta and Gardens Institute.
