Beware Buyers - Autel’s End of Life (EOL) Product Realities

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

You all need to go to NAB in Vegas next month!
Autel and DJI execs will be there.
I'm going!

They canceled NAB

 

[G_G]

This message is for potential buyers of Autel’s UAV consumer retail products:

Ever since the sale of X-Star, Autel’s first drone, I’ve watched Autel create and sell high quality drones with excellent customer support during the manufacturing warranty period. I think product quality and customer support during the warranty period has differentiated Autel from its competitors.

Since the X-Star, Autel has launched next-evolution drones like the X-Star Premium, EVO 1, and EVO 2. When the X-Star approached EOL, the company stopped selling parts to focus on the sales of their next product. That’s not unusual as companies need to address the changing demands of their customers. What was unfortunate at that time was that since the company was small and the user base for X-Stars limited, there were no third-party manufacturers of critical parts like batteries, propellers, etc. At that time, I gave Autel the benefit of the doubt since the X-Star was their first drone - after experiencing their first sales cycle I thought Autel would learn and improve their sales and support for their future products.

As Autel announced the sales of the X-Star Premium and subsequently, the EVO 1, as each of these drones approached EOL (the EVO 1 will approach EOL in December 2021 for parts availability), there was/will be no change in the unavailability of critical parts, leaving these customers holding some nice expensive drones with eventually no way to fly them (e.g., because of the technology used, these drone batteries last 2-3 years even when treating them with the best care, whether they are used or stay new in the box).

I thought the EOL issue with the X-Star was just one single bad data point with Autel, but 3 data points about what Autel does regarding EOL with their drones suggest a sad consistent trend - I’m confident that if Autel continues this current practice with EOL products, their latest drone, the EVO II, and future drones like the EVO III and the Mini/Light will endure the same fate as their 3 previously launched drones.

This iterative cycle of winning new customers for each drone (I own the EVO 1), then losing them and starting all over to win new customers for Autel’s next drone is inefficient and exhaustive for a small company like Autel – I think this is one of the reasons why Autel cannot become a successful drone company. Instead of focusing resources on the creating the next drone so that the company can win new customers while losing its existing customers, I think the company is missing one important step in the sales cycle, which is to create an EOL parts eco-system so that current customers can continue to use their current drones, while building trust that these customers can safely purchase the next drone from Autel when they are ready to do so and use them without the fear of EOL parts abandonment. I’m not suggesting that Autel commit factory resources to manufacture legacy products indefinitely, but rather, I think they can have forge agreements with third parties to create these critical parts to appease their customer base so that Autel can then focus on their next line of products to then increase their customers on top of their current customer base.

Now, will some customers not want to purchase the next line of drones with Autel because their current drones will still be flying in the air? Of course. But the marketing advantage of building brand loyalty and encourage future purchases will outweigh any revenues lost by allowing current customers to hang on to their current drones. It’s not like creating an EOL parts eco-system manufactured by third party companies hasn’t worked before – it’s a common practice for technology hardware companies. In fact, I can’t think of ANY reputable tech hardware company that is surviving today without some EOL parts eco-system in place.

Another disturbing point (not related to EOL but you can infer when EOL happens to EOV II) – due to the chip shortage Autel has had to resort to creating a “V2” version of the EVO II which render users of “V1” EVO II’s incompatible with components of the EVO II “V2”. In other words, there are no additional V1 components being produced (and this is during the current sales cycle of the EVO II). Think about all these V1 users who purchased the EVO II before this announcement on 6/4/21 – since there are no compatible parts for their Smart Controller and/or Live Deck – they are all out of luck if these parts fail. To be fair, Autel is saying the chip shortage is what led to this “V2” version, but I would at least think that Autel should better support their EVO II customers by offering them an incentive to switch up to the V2 version.

I guess all this EOL management stuff wouldn’t matter much if we were buying toys. But these drones are expensive and regulated by the FAA, with safety first as the utmost priority. Some customers use these drones for commercial purposes and so making sure they are safely flying the skies is that much more important. I fear that without an EOL parts eco-system that Autel will see more of their older drones malfunction and cause harm – with the current sentiment towards drones as the “bad guy” I don’t think Autel would appreciate that kind of negative media.

So potential buyers - Please consider this point above when making your purchase.

To Autel Management:

Continuing to perpetuate current practices on unavailability of EOL parts is making your resources work inefficiently by creating these stellar products only to have them “fall off a cliff” at EOL. This compels your company to resort to perpetually restart the sales cycle with the next shiny drone hoping to capture a new group of customers rather than reaping dividends from all the hard work done earning your existing customer base (think of it as trying to increase the value of your investments without the benefit of compound interest, or at best, a lower interest rate than what you deserve). How many more sales cycles do you think your brand can survive until your potential customers realize that your products’ parts are abandoned at EOL and, at best, become nice-looking models on desks or hanging off ceilings?

I sincerely hope someone from Autel is reading this message because I’m really rooting for this company to be around. However, without taking an honest introspection of themselves and addressing EOL parts concerns I don’t think Autel can consider themselves a serious long-term player in this market as existing competitors evolve and new competition emerges.

Autel Robotics does what Autel Robotics wants to do, regardless of the impact upon their customers. Unlike DJI and Amazon, they don't have a long term view of the customer, and therefore have a very high churn rate, losing previously loyal customers with all of their poor policies and decision making. It's an unsustainable business model, as everyone knows it is far more expensive to acquire a brand new customer to sell to, than to sell another product to an existing customer! It's why DJI still owns the market, despite GEO, and Autel Robotics' only real distinguishing feature currently is no GEO. Should Autel Robotics start enforcing their already installed GEO, either voluntarily, or by being compelled to do so, it will be game over for them!

 

[safetyPro]

This message is for potential buyers of Autel’s UAV consumer retail products:

Ever since the sale of X-Star, Autel’s first drone, I’ve watched Autel create and sell high quality drones with excellent customer support during the manufacturing warranty period. I think product quality and customer support during the warranty period has differentiated Autel from its competitors.

Since the X-Star, Autel has launched next-evolution drones like the X-Star Premium, EVO 1, and EVO 2. When the X-Star approached EOL, the company stopped selling parts to focus on the sales of their next product. That’s not unusual as companies need to address the changing demands of their customers. What was unfortunate at that time was that since the company was small and the user base for X-Stars limited, there were no third-party manufacturers of critical parts like batteries, propellers, etc. At that time, I gave Autel the benefit of the doubt since the X-Star was their first drone - after experiencing their first sales cycle I thought Autel would learn and improve their sales and support for their future products.

As Autel announced the sales of the X-Star Premium and subsequently, the EVO 1, as each of these drones approached EOL (the EVO 1 will approach EOL in December 2021 for parts availability), there was/will be no change in the unavailability of critical parts, leaving these customers holding some nice expensive drones with eventually no way to fly them (e.g., because of the technology used, these drone batteries last 2-3 years even when treating them with the best care, whether they are used or stay new in the box).

I thought the EOL issue with the X-Star was just one single bad data point with Autel, but 3 data points about what Autel does regarding EOL with their drones suggest a sad consistent trend - I’m confident that if Autel continues this current practice with EOL products, their latest drone, the EVO II, and future drones like the EVO III and the Mini/Light will endure the same fate as their 3 previously launched drones.

This iterative cycle of winning new customers for each drone (I own the EVO 1), then losing them and starting all over to win new customers for Autel’s next drone is inefficient and exhaustive for a small company like Autel – I think this is one of the reasons why Autel cannot become a successful drone company. Instead of focusing resources on the creating the next drone so that the company can win new customers while losing its existing customers, I think the company is missing one important step in the sales cycle, which is to create an EOL parts eco-system so that current customers can continue to use their current drones, while building trust that these customers can safely purchase the next drone from Autel when they are ready to do so and use them without the fear of EOL parts abandonment. I’m not suggesting that Autel commit factory resources to manufacture legacy products indefinitely, but rather, I think they can have forge agreements with third parties to create these critical parts to appease their customer base so that Autel can then focus on their next line of products to then increase their customers on top of their current customer base.

Now, will some customers not want to purchase the next line of drones with Autel because their current drones will still be flying in the air? Of course. But the marketing advantage of building brand loyalty and encourage future purchases will outweigh any revenues lost by allowing current customers to hang on to their current drones. It’s not like creating an EOL parts eco-system manufactured by third party companies hasn’t worked before – it’s a common practice for technology hardware companies. In fact, I can’t think of ANY reputable tech hardware company that is surviving today without some EOL parts eco-system in place.

Another disturbing point (not related to EOL but you can infer when EOL happens to EOV II) – due to the chip shortage Autel has had to resort to creating a “V2” version of the EVO II which render users of “V1” EVO II’s incompatible with components of the EVO II “V2”. In other words, there are no additional V1 components being produced (and this is during the current sales cycle of the EVO II). Think about all these V1 users who purchased the EVO II before this announcement on 6/4/21 – since there are no compatible parts for their Smart Controller and/or Live Deck – they are all out of luck if these parts fail. To be fair, Autel is saying the chip shortage is what led to this “V2” version, but I would at least think that Autel should better support their EVO II customers by offering them an incentive to switch up to the V2 version.

I guess all this EOL management stuff wouldn’t matter much if we were buying toys. But these drones are expensive and regulated by the FAA, with safety first as the utmost priority. Some customers use these drones for commercial purposes and so making sure they are safely flying the skies is that much more important. I fear that without an EOL parts eco-system that Autel will see more of their older drones malfunction and cause harm – with the current sentiment towards drones as the “bad guy” I don’t think Autel would appreciate that kind of negative media.

So potential buyers - Please consider this point above when making your purchase.

To Autel Management:

Continuing to perpetuate current practices on unavailability of EOL parts is making your resources work inefficiently by creating these stellar products only to have them “fall off a cliff” at EOL. This compels your company to resort to perpetually restart the sales cycle with the next shiny drone hoping to capture a new group of customers rather than reaping dividends from all the hard work done earning your existing customer base (think of it as trying to increase the value of your investments without the benefit of compound interest, or at best, a lower interest rate than what you deserve). How many more sales cycles do you think your brand can survive until your potential customers realize that your products’ parts are abandoned at EOL and, at best, become nice-looking models on desks or hanging off ceilings?

I sincerely hope someone from Autel is reading this message because I’m really rooting for this company to be around. However, without taking an honest introspection of themselves and addressing EOL parts concerns I don’t think Autel can consider themselves a serious long-term player in this market as existing competitors evolve and new competition emerges.

My EVO II was lost by FedEx after the repair of my gimbal. They filled an insurance claim, however; when I asked about upgrading the Evo 2 they said that they had zero in stock. But there would be other options.

 

[jlanni]

This message is for potential buyers of Autel’s UAV consumer retail products:

Ever since the sale of X-Star, Autel’s first drone, I’ve watched Autel create and sell high quality drones with excellent customer support during the manufacturing warranty period. I think product quality and customer support during the warranty period has differentiated Autel from its competitors.

Since the X-Star, Autel has launched next-evolution drones like the X-Star Premium, EVO 1, and EVO 2. When the X-Star approached EOL, the company stopped selling parts to focus on the sales of their next product. That’s not unusual as companies need to address the changing demands of their customers. What was unfortunate at that time was that since the company was small and the user base for X-Stars limited, there were no third-party manufacturers of critical parts like batteries, propellers, etc. At that time, I gave Autel the benefit of the doubt since the X-Star was their first drone - after experiencing their first sales cycle I thought Autel would learn and improve their sales and support for their future products.

As Autel announced the sales of the X-Star Premium and subsequently, the EVO 1, as each of these drones approached EOL (the EVO 1 will approach EOL in December 2021 for parts availability), there was/will be no change in the unavailability of critical parts, leaving these customers holding some nice expensive drones with eventually no way to fly them (e.g., because of the technology used, these drone batteries last 2-3 years even when treating them with the best care, whether they are used or stay new in the box).

I thought the EOL issue with the X-Star was just one single bad data point with Autel, but 3 data points about what Autel does regarding EOL with their drones suggest a sad consistent trend - I’m confident that if Autel continues this current practice with EOL products, their latest drone, the EVO II, and future drones like the EVO III and the Mini/Light will endure the same fate as their 3 previously launched drones.

This iterative cycle of winning new customers for each drone (I own the EVO 1), then losing them and starting all over to win new customers for Autel’s next drone is inefficient and exhaustive for a small company like Autel – I think this is one of the reasons why Autel cannot become a successful drone company. Instead of focusing resources on the creating the next drone so that the company can win new customers while losing its existing customers, I think the company is missing one important step in the sales cycle, which is to create an EOL parts eco-system so that current customers can continue to use their current drones, while building trust that these customers can safely purchase the next drone from Autel when they are ready to do so and use them without the fear of EOL parts abandonment. I’m not suggesting that Autel commit factory resources to manufacture legacy products indefinitely, but rather, I think they can have forge agreements with third parties to create these critical parts to appease their customer base so that Autel can then focus on their next line of products to then increase their customers on top of their current customer base.

Now, will some customers not want to purchase the next line of drones with Autel because their current drones will still be flying in the air? Of course. But the marketing advantage of building brand loyalty and encourage future purchases will outweigh any revenues lost by allowing current customers to hang on to their current drones. It’s not like creating an EOL parts eco-system manufactured by third party companies hasn’t worked before – it’s a common practice for technology hardware companies. In fact, I can’t think of ANY reputable tech hardware company that is surviving today without some EOL parts eco-system in place.

Another disturbing point (not related to EOL but you can infer when EOL happens to EOV II) – due to the chip shortage Autel has had to resort to creating a “V2” version of the EVO II which render users of “V1” EVO II’s incompatible with components of the EVO II “V2”. In other words, there are no additional V1 components being produced (and this is during the current sales cycle of the EVO II). Think about all these V1 users who purchased the EVO II before this announcement on 6/4/21 – since there are no compatible parts for their Smart Controller and/or Live Deck – they are all out of luck if these parts fail. To be fair, Autel is saying the chip shortage is what led to this “V2” version, but I would at least think that Autel should better support their EVO II customers by offering them an incentive to switch up to the V2 version.

I guess all this EOL management stuff wouldn’t matter much if we were buying toys. But these drones are expensive and regulated by the FAA, with safety first as the utmost priority. Some customers use these drones for commercial purposes and so making sure they are safely flying the skies is that much more important. I fear that without an EOL parts eco-system that Autel will see more of their older drones malfunction and cause harm – with the current sentiment towards drones as the “bad guy” I don’t think Autel would appreciate that kind of negative media.

So potential buyers - Please consider this point above when making your purchase.

To Autel Management:

Continuing to perpetuate current practices on unavailability of EOL parts is making your resources work inefficiently by creating these stellar products only to have them “fall off a cliff” at EOL. This compels your company to resort to perpetually restart the sales cycle with the next shiny drone hoping to capture a new group of customers rather than reaping dividends from all the hard work done earning your existing customer base (think of it as trying to increase the value of your investments without the benefit of compound interest, or at best, a lower interest rate than what you deserve). How many more sales cycles do you think your brand can survive until your potential customers realize that your products’ parts are abandoned at EOL and, at best, become nice-looking models on desks or hanging off ceilings?

I sincerely hope someone from Autel is reading this message because I’m really rooting for this company to be around. However, without taking an honest introspection of themselves and addressing EOL parts concerns I don’t think Autel can consider themselves a serious long-term player in this market as existing competitors evolve and new competition emerges.

Wish I could add something to that more than fair assessment of what I will call a situation at best. An assessment of what suicide of a business looks like. I just don't have the time. I feel betrayed and baffled by the lack of concern as the Autel crew is busy rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. J will not do business with Autel or any of its offspring anytime in the future. I don't play this game and don't have time to learn. Good bad or ugly, I will go somewhere else when the time comes. Fat chance that Evo 1 will end up a desk ornament, I will crush it first. Too bad, it is still flying great and has not let me down yet with the exception of the minor blip of a battery concern. Yep! A small seemingly ethical company with a more than decent product. A good part of what made me go with the Evo. It was a gamble was it not? Suicide.

 

[ted1970]

This message is for potential buyers of Autel’s UAV consumer retail products:

Ever since the sale of X-Star, Autel’s first drone, I’ve watched Autel create and sell high quality drones with excellent customer support during the manufacturing warranty period. I think product quality and customer support during the warranty period has differentiated Autel from its competitors.

Since the X-Star, Autel has launched next-evolution drones like the X-Star Premium, EVO 1, and EVO 2. When the X-Star approached EOL, the company stopped selling parts to focus on the sales of their next product. That’s not unusual as companies need to address the changing demands of their customers. What was unfortunate at that time was that since the company was small and the user base for X-Stars limited, there were no third-party manufacturers of critical parts like batteries, propellers, etc. At that time, I gave Autel the benefit of the doubt since the X-Star was their first drone - after experiencing their first sales cycle I thought Autel would learn and improve their sales and support for their future products.

As Autel announced the sales of the X-Star Premium and subsequently, the EVO 1, as each of these drones approached EOL (the EVO 1 will approach EOL in December 2021 for parts availability), there was/will be no change in the unavailability of critical parts, leaving these customers holding some nice expensive drones with eventually no way to fly them (e.g., because of the technology used, these drone batteries last 2-3 years even when treating them with the best care, whether they are used or stay new in the box).

I thought the EOL issue with the X-Star was just one single bad data point with Autel, but 3 data points about what Autel does regarding EOL with their drones suggest a sad consistent trend - I’m confident that if Autel continues this current practice with EOL products, their latest drone, the EVO II, and future drones like the EVO III and the Mini/Light will endure the same fate as their 3 previously launched drones.

This iterative cycle of winning new customers for each drone (I own the EVO 1), then losing them and starting all over to win new customers for Autel’s next drone is inefficient and exhaustive for a small company like Autel – I think this is one of the reasons why Autel cannot become a successful drone company. Instead of focusing resources on the creating the next drone so that the company can win new customers while losing its existing customers, I think the company is missing one important step in the sales cycle, which is to create an EOL parts eco-system so that current customers can continue to use their current drones, while building trust that these customers can safely purchase the next drone from Autel when they are ready to do so and use them without the fear of EOL parts abandonment. I’m not suggesting that Autel commit factory resources to manufacture legacy products indefinitely, but rather, I think they can have forge agreements with third parties to create these critical parts to appease their customer base so that Autel can then focus on their next line of products to then increase their customers on top of their current customer base.

Now, will some customers not want to purchase the next line of drones with Autel because their current drones will still be flying in the air? Of course. But the marketing advantage of building brand loyalty and encourage future purchases will outweigh any revenues lost by allowing current customers to hang on to their current drones. It’s not like creating an EOL parts eco-system manufactured by third party companies hasn’t worked before – it’s a common practice for technology hardware companies. In fact, I can’t think of ANY reputable tech hardware company that is surviving today without some EOL parts eco-system in place.

Another disturbing point (not related to EOL but you can infer when EOL happens to EOV II) – due to the chip shortage Autel has had to resort to creating a “V2” version of the EVO II which render users of “V1” EVO II’s incompatible with components of the EVO II “V2”. In other words, there are no additional V1 components being produced (and this is during the current sales cycle of the EVO II). Think about all these V1 users who purchased the EVO II before this announcement on 6/4/21 – since there are no compatible parts for their Smart Controller and/or Live Deck – they are all out of luck if these parts fail. To be fair, Autel is saying the chip shortage is what led to this “V2” version, but I would at least think that Autel should better support their EVO II customers by offering them an incentive to switch up to the V2 version.

I guess all this EOL management stuff wouldn’t matter much if we were buying toys. But these drones are expensive and regulated by the FAA, with safety first as the utmost priority. Some customers use these drones for commercial purposes and so making sure they are safely flying the skies is that much more important. I fear that without an EOL parts eco-system that Autel will see more of their older drones malfunction and cause harm – with the current sentiment towards drones as the “bad guy” I don’t think Autel would appreciate that kind of negative media.

So potential buyers - Please consider this point above when making your purchase.

To Autel Management:

Continuing to perpetuate current practices on unavailability of EOL parts is making your resources work inefficiently by creating these stellar products only to have them “fall off a cliff” at EOL. This compels your company to resort to perpetually restart the sales cycle with the next shiny drone hoping to capture a new group of customers rather than reaping dividends from all the hard work done earning your existing customer base (think of it as trying to increase the value of your investments without the benefit of compound interest, or at best, a lower interest rate than what you deserve). How many more sales cycles do you think your brand can survive until your potential customers realize that your products’ parts are abandoned at EOL and, at best, become nice-looking models on desks or hanging off ceilings?

I sincerely hope someone from Autel is reading this message because I’m really rooting for this company to be around. However, without taking an honest introspection of themselves and addressing EOL parts concerns I don’t think Autel can consider themselves a serious long-term player in this market as existing competitors evolve and new competition emerges.

Seriously: Amen!

 

[ted1970]

I agree. These basic items can easily be outsourced to a 3rd party. The profit margin for Autel might be small or zero but so what; it's zero if they don't sell them as well.

The goodwill generated by allowing a 3rd party to help keep the older birds in the air would generate more brand loyalty and repeat customers. It's business 101 and I don't understand why Autel doesn't get this basic fact.

YES!!!

 

[jlanni]

They canceled NAB

What is NAB

 

[Shanti]

I was one of the 1st here in Denmark to get the Evo 1, as thought it was better than DJI, & wanted to support a US firm. Had called them a few times & customer service was fine. Now 2 of my batteries are defective suddenly?? full charge then after 2 min --critically low, only 50 recharges or so..not so much . So I try to look for some new batteries here in the EU.....HAHAHA.. not a chance to find them & US sellers won't ship here due to hazardous material laws ??. Contacted Autel support, via FB, oh try Amazon(not in stock & will not send if they were. said that to support & NO reply!!. I really like the EVO & was considering the 6K pro, but now cannot trust them anymore. If I was a 1% er then who cares only $$$ ..but am self employed trying to get by..they won't last long if they keep doing this type of biz practice.

 

[MNT DRONE SOLUTIONS]

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What is NAB

 

[jlanni]

I was one of the 1st here in Denmark to get the Evo 1, as thought it was better than DJI, & wanted to support a US firm. Had called them a few times & customer service was fine. Now 2 of my batteries are defective suddenly?? full charge then after 2 min --critically low, only 50 recharges or so..not so much . So I try to look for some new batteries here in the EU.....HAHAHA.. not a chance to find them & US sellers won't ship here due to hazardous material laws ??. Contacted Autel support, via FB, oh try Amazon(not in stock & will not send if they were. said that to support & NO reply!!. I really like the EVO & was considering the 6K pro, but now cannot trust them anymore. If I was a 1% er then who cares only $$$ ..but am self employed trying to get by..they won't last long if they keep doing this type of biz practice.

I agree. Autel handled EOL too soon and at less than honorably. For that reason alone I would not even consider another Autel product. A company called Best Buy Located in the U.S. had a couple online sales that offered batteries for the EVO I for 49 dollars U.S. I found the first sale by accident and then kept checking back and they did it again. Last time I looked, they did not even have an Autel product. I bought my last battery a month ago. I have 9 batteries now counting they original that went bad after a year. I don't buy anything with that kind of life span.

 

[moodman]

Thank you for you well written post TABE, you have said what needs to be told to other Autel owners. I had 3 X-star premiums at one time with 15 batteries. I flew on a regular basis, with that said, after the stop- production of batteries due to EOL, I was forced to sell of my inventory due to the rapid failure of the remaining batteries. I have not flown since Nov. 2020 and I miss that feeling of being in the air. There is absolutely no reason to stop production of batteries & props. I can understand after 5 years or so the non- production of cameras, electronic parts, etc. But to stop producing the 2 things that keep a bird flying is plain wrong! You can always get camera parts, electronics, etc on e-bay, but batteries, not a chance! I will never trust Autel again, they have done the same thing with the Evo 1 series. Watch out, your Evo 2 is next gentlemen. I hate the Dji's no fly zones but at least you can get batteries & even aftermarket batteries for years to come. Parts are always easy to access even for birds built when Dji was new to the drone world. I have also noticed all kinds of aftermarket accessories for any Dji product as to where you can hardly find anything for Autel products. Autel's customer service is is awesome & they have always been good to me, but the EOL has pushed me in another direction. I'm looking into buying a new quad In the near future, but it will be an Air 2s or the upcoming mavic 3.

Good luck Autel owners, I'm done with there sleazy business practices! It's just plain wrong!

... and this battery issue is a real business opportunity for someone willing to rebuild batteries...

 

[ted1970]

Seriously: Imagine if us Evo 1 people could go back in time and get a Mavic 2 Pro for only a few hundred more dollars instead of the Evo 1?
We'd still have an awesome, full-frame, 20mp Hassel-freaking-blad sensor-equipped, technically supported, and still at the top of its class drone instead of a buggy, orange, small-sensor, 12mp, unsupported antique that people might pay $400-$500 for used (if you are lucky.)
I have a feeling all the proud Evo 2 owners are in for a nasty surprise soon when Autel abandons their drones. We told you so!

 

[Props McGavin]

Seriously: Imagine if us Evo 1 people could go back in time and get a Mavic 2 Pro for only a few hundred more dollars instead of the Evo 1?
We'd still have an awesome, full-frame, 20mp Hassel-freaking-blad sensor-equipped, technically supported, and still at the top of its class drone instead of a buggy, orange, small-sensor, 12mp, unsupported antique that people might pay $400-$500 for used (if you are lucky.)
I have a feeling all the proud Evo 2 owners are in for a nasty surprise soon when Autel abandons their drones. We told you so!

Yep, I was screaming about how bad Autel have been over the past few years in regards to their respect and support of customers as it seems they have NONE.!! Especially when a new model comes out.

My Evo 1 was ;less than 2 years old and requires about $45 dollars worth pf parts which they were unwilling to even SELL to me. I offered to pay for all parts, labour, shipping etc and because the EVO 2 was out, they didn't care.

I've tried contacting them through every available channel, including social media where they talk big for the public to see, ("please send us a DM and we will do our best to resolve your issue"), I send a message and get ignored and have been for nearly 2 years now. I flew my Evo about 20 times if I was lucky.

Autel are a disgrace, I wish nothing good for them.

 

[The Autelian]

Hogwash!
Go ahead, buy crappy DJI with their ridiculous geo fencing rules that can be very embarrassing if clients are around!
I’ve ditched my DJI products in favour of Autel.
The Evo 1 was their first iteration of foldable drones. The Evo 2 will be around a long time. No worries!

 

[G_G]

Hogwash!
Go ahead, buy crappy DJI with their ridiculous geo fencing rules that can be very embarrassing if clients are around!
I’ve ditched my DJI products in favour of Autel.
The Evo 1 was their first iteration of foldable drones. The Evo 2 will be around a long time. No worries!

Actually, the Mavic 2 Pro, when it when first sold, allowed self-authorizing in all GEO Blue Authorization Zones, and still does, unless you later updated the FW, which then converted self-authorizing into requiring DJI unlocks to fly in the Blue Authorization Zones. Eventually, Autel Robotics will do the same on the EVO 2. The database is already installed and now only issues warnings instead of preventing flight. It's just a matter of time before warnings become locks. Wait and see! I hope it's later than sooner, because I own the EVO 2 Pro for exactly that reason, but having been down this road before with DJI, the handwriting is already on the wall. Any future FW or app update by Autel Robotics could flip the switch, just like DJI did, in the name of "public safety."

 

[The Autelian]

Actually, the Mavic 2 Pro, when it when first sold, allowed self-authorizing in all Blue GEO Enhanced Warning Zones, and still does, unless you later updated the FW, which then converted self-authorizing into requiring DJI unlocks to fly in the Enhanced Warning Zones. Eventually, Autel Robotics will do the same on the EVO 2. The database is already installed and now only issues warnings instead of preventing flight. It's just a matter of time before warnings become locks. Wait and see! I hope it's later than sooner, because I own the EVO 2 Pro for exactly that reason, but having been down this road before with DJI, the handwriting is already on the wall. Any future FW or app update by Autel Robotics could flip the switch, just like DJI did, in the name of "public safety."

 

[The Autelian]

Not so sure about that. DJI did it to get in brd with the FAA. Look how that worked out! Besides, DJI is headquartered in China.
Autel too, But their servers are in the US. I don’t believe they’ll be pressured into instigating geo fencing at all. DJI is the only company doing that.

 

[jlanni]

I'm simply going to say, I'll never purchased another Autel product of any kind. Anyone else is free to do as they wish. I say that from the standpoint of being an EVO 1 owner and had no complaints what so ever until the battery issue arose and Autel writing the EVO 1 out of the show with basically zero future support or third party interaction with the product. If Autel wanted to abandon the EVO 1, they had the option of passing the tech and tooling to support their customers. Abandonment and of the customer is just not good business practice for what ecer the reason. Hence my decision to never be suckered into that type of situation knowing in advance of their reputation. I agree, Autel does talk a good support game but it is generic, disingenuous and almost computer generated public relation statements to cover their own rear end more than customer support.

 

[Brock Inspector]

jlanni, did you join this forum on July 20, 2021 prior to or after purchasing of your Evo? Autel gave 6 mos fair warning in June that the Evo was slated for EOL come Dec

 

[jlanni]

jlanni, did you join this forum on July 20, 2021 prior to or after purchasing of your Evo? Autel gave 6 mos fair warning in June that the Evo was slated for EOL come Dec

My EVO purchase was around Sept 2019 but don't hold me to that because that is an educated guess. I did not realize I would need that information years later. For the record I read everything that was readily available regarding the EVO at the time of purchase and I can safely assure you that I never would have made this purchase knowing what I now know. As I said previously, I basically have no complaints with the drone. This is not my first rodeo and I will chock it up as a lesson not to be repeated with this company. These things happen however there was no need to shut it off like a light switch. There were options available to take care of the customer. Just bad management. This will hurt Autel more than it will hurt me but that is their choice. I joined January 18th 2021 so it says and that sounds about right. I am not going to rehash my battery issues but in short they began around last July 2021. I have 10 batteries now and one is bad two are questionable and not to be trusted. When I learned of these issue and Autel's moving on from the EVO 1 I took advantage of the sale Best Buy had on batteries. 49 dollars each. They will run another sale sometime. I check so I can post it here when it happens. Other than that, had no issues.