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It seems that combining drones and electric vehicles is a hot trend in 2025. We’ve got a few recent drone+car stories, so I’m pulling them together here for one news update.

Tai 7 with Drone

First of all, we’ve got BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao (FCB), which has unveiled the Tai 7. The kind of Land Rover looking SUV comes with a drone system that mounts onto the roof. The SUV is expected to come with a price tag of around 300,000 yuan ($42,000). The Tai 7 will add to FCB’s Bao 5, Bao 8, and Tai 3.

The vehicle-mounted drone system is an option for buyers. Also on top of the roof is a lidar system that is said to support BYD’s “God’s Eye B” driver-assist system. It’s expected this model will only use a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

Hyundai IONIQ 9 Seed Ball Drone Station

Hyundai has launched an IONIQ 9 Seed Ball Drone Station in Korea. The drone station is helping with reforestation and monitoring in areas damaged by wildfires. “The station features a built-in drone takeoff and landing platform and utilizes vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology to supply power for drone operations,” Hyundai shares.

“A large seed ball drone enables efficient tree planting in hard-to-access areas by dispersing clay seed balls from the air, enhancing large-scale reforestation efforts.”

Of course, this isn’t a consumer setup, but that shows even more how keen automakers are to combine drones with EVs at the moment! “Paired with the IONIQ 5 Monitoring Drone Station, it advances Hyundai Motor’s Smart Forest Restoration Program and global IONIQ Forest project,” Hyundai adds. Here’s a bit more:

“In June of last year, Hyundai Motor signed a five-year partnership agreement with the Korea National Arboreta and Gardens Institute, a subsidiary of the Korea Forest Service, and Tree Planet, a social venture specializing in tree planting. Through this collaboration, the company has conducted forest monitoring and data collection activities using the IONIQ 5 Monitoring Drone Station to assist in restoring areas affected by wildfires along Korea’s East Coast.

“The newly developed IONIQ 9 Seed Ball Drone Station is a specially designed vehicle based on Hyundai Motor’s flagship electric SUV, IONIQ 9, in collaboration with Guru E&T, a startup specializing in reforestation solutions and technologies. It is equipped to facilitate tree planting, monitoring and restoration of damaged forest areas.

“The station incorporates advanced features, such as a drone takeoff and landing platform built into the trunk, providing excellent operational flexibility. The vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging system enables the vehicle to autonomously supply power required for drone operations directly onboard.

“The system is designed for zero tailpipe emissions and low-noise, low-vibration operation, ensuring minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystem. With its off-road driving capabilities, the IONIQ 9 drone station can also reliably access remote forest areas and conduct restoration efforts with stability.

“The station’s large seed ball drone enables efficient tree planting in areas that are difficult for people to access. The drone disperses seed balls — clay spheres containing a mixture of soil, organic matter and seeds — from the air, making large-scale reforestation both practical and effective.”

Cool stuff.

BYD Denza N9 Drone Stations Getting Delivered

Back to BYD, the BYD Denza N9 has also been offered with an optional drone station, and those are now being delivered. BYD co-developed these vehicle-connected drones with drone giant DJI. They cost an extra 16,000 yuan ($2,230) on top of the price of the vehicle — probably an easy way for BYD to jack up profits and gross margin on this vehicle model.

The Denza N9 is again a plug-in hybrid model from BYD (not our favorite kind). It seems the idea is that people who would want to buy cars with drone stations would want to take them far off the beaten track, so it’s better to roll these out with plug-in hybrid models. That may be true for many, assuming they want to explore the great outdoors and film it from the skies. However, there may also be many buyers who want to use the drones in urban areas, the suburbs, etc. Hopefully we learn a bit more over time about how these are used. Here are some more details about the Denza N9 drone station:

• Works with the DJI Air3S drone
• Supports maximum takeoff and landing speed of 25 km/h
• The drone can go up to 54 km/h while following the car
• Within 2 km, can return to station on its own to charge
• Charges from 20% to 80% in 30 minutes.

The Denza N9 sells for 389,800–449,800 yuan ($54,300 to $62,600). It was launched (in China) in March.

I’m sure there must be some more drone+EV stories out there, but these are three notable ones I’ve seen pop up in recent months. Stay tuned for more in 2025, no doubt.