Meet the Hyundai IONIQ 9 Seed Ball Drone Station. Hyundai’s new three-row EV is greater than only a household hauler — it’s now utilizing drones to assist restore forests.
Hyundai IONIQ 9 EV restores forests with drones
After delivering the primary buyer fashions only a few months in the past, Hyundai’s three-row electrical SUV is already doing extra than simply reducing emissions.
Hyundai launched the IONIQ 9 Seed Ball Drone Station on Thursday, a modified model of the model’s largest EV, full with a built-in drone launch pad.
The inside incorporates a devoted drone operation PC, twin screens, and a swivel seat, basically remodeling it into “a totally purposeful cellular workplace.”
Hyundai’s specifically designed EV, in-built collaboration with Guru E&T, is getting used to plant timber in areas which are exhausting to entry. Outfitted with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, Hyundai’s electrical automobiles provide energy for the drones in distant areas.
The drones scatter “seed balls,” that are clay spheres stuffed with soil, natural matter, and seeds all through the world.
The modified IONIQ 9 is a part of the Korean automaker’s ongoing Sensible Forest Restoration Program. It follows the IONIQ 5 Monitoring Drone Station, launched in 2023.
Hyundai is using its new EV fashions to assist restore forests in Uljin, Korea, which have been severely impacted by widespread wildfires in 2022.
The efforts are a part of Hyundai’s forest-building efforts known as the IONIQ Forest challenge. Launched in 2016, the challenge covers 13 international locations, together with the US. Hyundai plans to develop the drone tasks into different areas sooner or later.
After deliveries started within the US in late Might, Hyundai reported IONIQ 9 gross sales reached over 1,000 by the tip of June.
Hyundai’s three-row electrical SUV begins at $60,555 with an EPA-est vary of as much as 335 miles. Just like the IONIQ 5, it additionally incorporates a native NACS port to entry Tesla Superchargers.
The IONIQ 5 stays one of many top-selling EVs within the US, with over 19,000 offered within the first half of 2025. With leases beginning at simply $179 per thirty days, the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 (now with extra vary and a built-in NACS port) is tough to move up proper now with the EV tax credit score set to run out on the finish of September.
Since each the IONIQ 9 and IONIQ 5 are constructed at Hyundai’s new EV plant in Georgia, they nonetheless qualify for the $7,500 tax credit score till the deadline.
Trying to snag the financial savings whereas they’re nonetheless right here? You should use our hyperlinks beneath to seek out the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 2026 IONIQ 9 in your space.
