Evo I batteries on sale at BestBuy.

[Herdfan]

Was in BB today picking up a new keyboard and wandered over to where they had the drones. They were selling batteries for $49 and the Evo Bundle (2 batteries, props and a bag) for $109. Basically they were 50% off.

I bought the bundle and a battery. So now I have 2 bags, plenty of props and 8 batteries. Going to keep 4 of the batteries NIB and see. I might crash it tomorrow.

 

[Madhungarian]

Just picked up two from their site. Thank you. I have a feeling that these will end up being like the X star batteries, so better to stock up.

 

[herein2021]

Just picked up two from their site. Thank you. I have a feeling that these will end up being like the X star batteries, so better to stock up.

Be careful when you stock up.....they still only have about a 1 yr shelf life and that year starts from date of manufacturer not from date of purchase. There is no way around that 1yr mark either...if you don't use them at all they will die from not being used and if you add them to your regular rotation they will die due to charging cycles.

And yes, I know plenty of marketing material states 2-3yrs....but Autel also advertises the EVO II will fly for 40min.

 

[Madhungarian]

Be careful when you stock up.....they still only have about a 1 yr shelf life and that year starts from date of manufacturer not from date of purchase. There is no way around that 1yr mark either...if you don't use them at all they will die from not being used and if you add them to your regular rotation they will die due to charging cycles.

And yes, I know plenty of marketing material states 2-3yrs....but Autel also advertises the EVO II will fly for 40min.

Thanks for he heads up, hopefully the new ones haven't been sitting in the warehouse too long, I still have my original 3 batteries I got with my Evo almost 3 years ago, they have about 25-30 cycles on them each and they still work perfectly. I plan on testing out the new ones and make sure they work well. I also just got my transmitter back from Autel since they fixed my stuck shutter button and replaced the internal battery. Autel should still provide a year warranty on those new batteries don't you think?

 

[PingSpike]

I'm impressed that you guys overseas have a store you can just walk in to and buy drone accessories off the shelf as if it were a common every day item

I'm very impressed (and somewhat jealous).

 

[Herdfan]

I'm impressed that you guys overseas have a store you can just walk in to and buy drone accessories off the shelf as if it were a common every day item

I'm very impressed (and somewhat jealous).

It's hit or miss. There is a drone aisle at Best Buy. When I bought the battery and bundle, those were literally the only Autel things they had. No drones. They had maybe 2 DJI drones and a pack of propellers. Not well stocked for sure.

 

[herein2021]

Thanks for he heads up, hopefully the new ones haven't been sitting in the warehouse too long, I still have my original 3 batteries I got with my Evo almost 3 years ago, they have about 25-30 cycles on them each and they still work perfectly. I plan on testing out the new ones and make sure they work well. I also just got my transmitter back from Autel since they fixed my stuck shutter button and replaced the internal battery. Autel should still provide a year warranty on those new batteries don't you think?

That is pretty good, I can only hope that the EVO II batteries hold up like that, mine could wear out so quickly though because I use them so much but I did have one Mavic Pro battery that I had literally never used and forgot to charge every month that swelled the first time I charged it.

I have noticed that it seems like the more demanding the workload for the battery the quicker it seems to expire. The longest lasting batteries I've had for a drone were with the DJI Phantom 2....every DJI drone since then seems to have a shorter and shorter useable life; maybe Autel's batteries will break that trend.

I'm impressed that you guys overseas have a store you can just walk in to and buy drone accessories off the shelf as if it were a common every day item

I'm very impressed (and somewhat jealous).

Like @Herdfan said, it is very hit or miss at the big box retailers. They pretty much put a little of everything out there and if it doesn't sell well or if its an expensive item it becomes online only pretty quickly. We do have a store near me though called Hobby Lobby that literally stocks every major drone and drone part you can imagine. That's where I used to go to build RC helicopters and get replacement parts.

When you want something very specific though like just the landing gear, or a specific drone case, your best bet is still to order online.

 

[RobertB]

I just checked BestBuy's site and they are offering the Evo 1 batteries for $25. I just submitted an order.

 

[Drone Guy]

Here is a link..I just bought two with free shipping...https://www.bestbuy.com/site/autel-battery-for-autel-robotics-evo/6314663.p?skuId=6314663

 

[tuxontodd]

Be careful when you stock up.....they still only have about a 1 yr shelf life and that year starts from date of manufacturer not from date of purchase. There is no way around that 1yr mark either...if you don't use them at all they will die from not being used and if you add them to your regular rotation they will die due to charging cycles.

And yes, I know plenty of marketing material states 2-3yrs....but Autel also advertises the EVO II will fly for 40min.

I stocked up myself. What's the best practice. Keep the batteries between 25-50 percent charge and not use them or put them in your normal rotation but still keep them at 25-50% charge during non use. I imagine if I open the box a year later, they will be toast?

 

[Madhungarian]

I actually bought 2 at 50 each last week and today I went to the store and they paid me back the difference. Thanks RobertB!

 

[herein2021]

I stocked up myself. What's the best practice. Keep the batteries between 25-50 percent charge and not use them or put them in your normal rotation but still keep them at 25-50% charge during non use. I imagine if I open the box a year later, they will be toast?

I recommend putting them into normal rotation and use them at least once a month. It seems both time and charging cycles works against these types of batteries so at least if you spread out the charging cycles amongst the batteries you will then only have time working against you. I do try to keep my batteries when not in use around the 20% charged mark, but it doesn't always work out that way. If you expected to use 3 batteries in a day and only ended up needing one....you end up having to spend nearly an hour of flying time trying to get the other two to discharge.

 

[G_G]

Still $110 for two batteries, a set of props, and another bundle bag!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/autel-robotics-evo-on-the-go-bundle-black-orange/6315602.p?skuId=6315602

 

[tuxontodd]

I recommend putting them into normal rotation and use them at least once a month. It seems both time and charging cycles works against these types of batteries so at least if you spread out the charging cycles amongst the batteries you will then only have time working against you. I do try to keep my batteries when not in use around the 20% charged mark, but it doesn't always work out that way. If you expected to use 3 batteries in a day and only ended up needing one....you end up having to spend nearly an hour of flying time trying to get the other two to discharge.

I've changed the discharge rate to 2 days and might go down to one. I'm not impressed with Autel or their batteries. The four that came with the drone all died with around 35 cycles at 1.5 years. Now we won't be able to buy batteries anymore. Just for grins I saw you can still get third party batteries for a Phantom 3. I don't need a new drone every two years and it's pathetic with this planned obsolescence.

 

[herein2021]

I've changed the discharge rate to 2 days and might go down to one. I'm not impressed with Autel or their batteries. The four that came with the drone all died with around 35 cycles at 1.5 years. Now we won't be able to buy batteries anymore. Just for grins I saw you can still get third party batteries for a Phantom 3. I don't need a new drone every two years and it's pathetic with this planned obsolescence.

I will be curious to see if that works for you...from what I've read at least for the EVO II, changing the discharge rate doesn't actually work. Maybe this was fixed in firmware but I read somewhere that someone tested this and it still takes 6 days to discharge.

35 cycles does not surprise me, I know people are reporting multiple yrs, but so far I haven't had that kind of luck with LiPo batteries. I do live in FL where it is very hot and humid while flying so that may contribute to it.

 

[tuxontodd]

I will be curious to see if that works for you...from what I've read at least for the EVO II, changing the discharge rate doesn't actually work. Maybe this was fixed in firmware but I read somewhere that someone tested this and it still takes 6 days to discharge.

35 cycles does not surprise me, I know people are reporting multiple yrs, but so far I haven't had that kind of luck with LiPo batteries. I do live in FL where it is very hot and humid while flying so that may contribute to it.

I changed it to two yesterday and still full.. I'll report back in a few days but I noticed when I had it at 6 or 10, whatever the max was they still didn't discharge.

 

[herein2021]

I changed it to two yesterday and still full.. I'll report back in a few days but I noticed when I had it at 6 or 10, whatever the max was they still didn't discharge.

My EVO II batteries seem to take longer than 6 days as well, it seems closer to 2wks or so but I've never kept close track. The only truly reliable way to discharge them seems to be to fly them until you hit 20%.

 

[Buster McCray]

I just checked BestBuy's site and they are offering the Evo 1 batteries for $25. I just submitted an order.

I ordered a bundle and a single battery yesterday

 

[mixchief]

Autel EVO 1 batteries at least do not hold up very well to storage. They actually totally discharge in a matter of a month so you have to constantly be monitoring them. I had one replaced by Autel and 2 that died after warranty, it's unfortunate but I am not a part 107 commercial pilot and my time in the air is very limited these days, so I really didn't enjoy those batteries very much.

 

[gmann4s]

Was in BB today picking up a new keyboard and wandered over to where they had the drones. They were selling batteries for $49 and the Evo Bundle (2 batteries, props and a bag) for $109. Basically they were 50% off.

I bought the bundle and a battery. So now I have 2 bags, plenty of props and 8 batteries. Going to keep 4 of the batteries NIB and see. I might crash it tomorrow.

They were going for 25 at the bb by me