Hyundai completes construction of Ioniq 9 seedball drone station
Jul 17, 2025
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In June last year, Hyundai Motor decided to work together with the Korea Arboretum Garden Management Center under the Korea Forest Service and the Tree Planet to restore the ecology of national forests in areas affected by forest fires on the east coast for five years, and has been conducting forest monitoring and data collection activities using the Ionic 5 monitoring drone station.
Hyundai Motor Company's 'Ionic 9 Seedball Drone Station', built with forest restoration technology startup Guruianti, is a special vehicle designed for the restoration, planting, and monitoring of damaged forests based on the electric flagship SUV 'Ionic 9'.
The vehicle is equipped with a large seed ball drone and a dedicated take-off and landing lift using trunk space, enabling efficient planting work by dropping a ball-shaped seed ball mixed with loess and seeds from the air even in areas where people are difficult to access.
By utilizing the large rear space of the Ioniq 9, a high-precision integrated control system equipped with a dedicated PC for drone operation and a dual monitor has also been established. Power required for the operation of such a control system, drone charging, communication, and image transmission is supplied using the vehicle's V2L (Vehicle to Load) function.
In addition, like the existing 'Ionic 5 Monitoring Drone Station', it has less noise and vibration, no emissions, and optimized driving performance for off-road, enabling stable and eco-friendly restoration activities in forest areas.
Hyundai Motor plans to develop a smart forest ecological restoration project by utilizing the newly built 'Ionic 9 Seedball Drone Station' along with the existing 'Ionic 5 Monitoring Drone Station'.
"This ecological restoration project, which introduced IONIC 5 and 9 drone stations, is not just a sponsorship of planting, but cooperation in eco-friendly mobility technology. Hyundai Motor will continue to cooperate in various ways based on eco-friendly mobility and take the lead in preserving biodiversity and providing forest restoration solutions," a Hyundai Motor official said.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor's ecological restoration project in Uljin-gun using the 'Ionic 5 and 9 drone stations' is part of the 'Ionic Forest', an eco-friendly social contribution project that Hyundai Motor has been operating with the participation of customers and local communities since 2016.
Starting with the project to create a fine dust prevention forest in the Incheon metropolitan landfill, the Ionic Forest has continued to create forests by selecting themes that respond to social issues in each era. By July 2025, 1 million trees were planted in 13 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Vietnam, India, and the Czech Republic, as well as Korea.
Editor Song Moon-cheol mc.song@carguy.kr
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
