EVO II Buyback or Upgrade Plan

[Brock Inspector]

... Worse, there are still v1 products in stock with some resellers, very few of which tell you up front that you're buying EOL products (although I note that yours did come clean when you enquired about the Smart Controller - but only after you had parted with $3k for your EOL drone).

Indefensibly, there wasn't even a notice on the Autel website about this chip problem and its consequences until two days ago when they buried a blog post in a section called "Tips & Tricks" so they were failing in their duty to the general public by allowing/encouraging them to buy up old EOL stock without any warnings....

Are you confusing the fact that the original Evo is officially End-of-Life (6 mos fair notice, incidentally), with the Evo II Version 1 that you have said is EOL? Because other than the SDR chipset and nomenclature, the V2 airframe is identical. The warranty issue is that someday in the future Autel may have to upgrade to a non-V1 if it's unrepairable (a broken SDR board? Because they've still got every other component). It's NOT End-of-Life, so much as the introduction of a new V2 iteration that doesn't do two specific things: Work with the Live View or the V1 controllers.

 

[gschulzuio]

I despise their flight restriction hoops one must jump through even when possessing pre-approved FAA authorizations and waivers – LAANC cannot be use with waivers

It might be water under the bridge and does not address your Autel issues, however likewise flying DJI for over 6 years, and routinely hear about people having issues with DJI go fence etc. What I have been doing for several years is to get a DJI custom unlock code for blanket areas that you can then use your 107.41 authorizations with, and, have it apply and work across multiple DJI aircraft (you have to provide list of FCs for each aircraft). Granted it can take a a half hour or more to submit the custom unlock code request if you have all of your info at hand (e.g. 107.41 authorizations, aircraft FCs and SNs, any applicable waivers, etc). However once you have the unlock code which can be valid for months if not a year or more, simply unlock the aircraft using the applicable code, and off you go. Have even used the codes to unlock an aircraft indoors thats was in an NFZ. Something you do have to watch out for with the custom unlock code is make sure a) you are not requesting a self unlock, b) you have your dronzone 107.41 airspace authorizations, c) set the correct radius diameter in km, d) set the valid data start/stop range. For example, I have an custom unlock zone that spans 5 airports that include a B and 4 Ds. Of course the above is not great for ad hoc just get up and go, however with a few minutes of advanced planning, you can get up and go even faster.

 

[YuKay]

Are you confusing the fact that the original Evo is officially End-of-Life (6 mos fair notice, incidentally), with the Evo II Version 1 that you have said is EOL? Because other than the SDR chipset and nomenclature, the V2 airframe is identical. The warranty issue is that someday in the future Autel may have to upgrade to a non-V1 if it's unrepairable (a broken SDR board? Because they've still got every other component). It's NOT End-of-Life, so much as the introduction of a new V2 iteration that doesn't do two specific things: Work with the Live View or the V1 controllers.

The original EVO was EOL long before Autel made the announcement. Having searched all over, I got the last one available in Europe back in April - at which time it was, and still is, impossible to buy new batteries for it.

Whatever definition Autel may ascribe to EOL, mine is that a product is dead when it is no longer being made. In fact, they refer to "End of Service", presumably meaning that it is still possible to get an original EVO repaired. Good luck with that.

The EVO II v1 is no longer being made either so it is EOL in my book but you can call it obsolete or whatever you like. The whole v1 ecosystem is EOL. Anyone who owns a v1 Live Deck or Smart Controller won't be able to replace it.

And no-one knows what Autel will do for v1 owners who need major repairs to a v1 drone or Live Deck or Smart Controller. Autel can't upgrade them to a v2 product without upgrading their whole v1 ecosystem to v2, which they won't do. The customer will have to pay for the upgrades.

It's a can of worms.

 

[herein2021]

I would certainly have reacted differently if Autel hadn't been so devious. Even today they are trying to hide this problem. I would be amazed if more than 1% of their site visitors ever find their way to the "Tips & Tricks" page where the announcement is hidden. In any event, that's a ridiculous/illogical place to post an announcement of this kind. At the very least it should be on their News page (also somewhat hard to find) and on every FAQ and Support page - and there should be a dedicated, easy-to-find support section for owners of v1 products.

Autel are obviously running scared - presumably because they can't afford to handle the problem in a legal, decent, honest way. They may even be on the point of going bust - which would be a tragedy for the prosumer drone industry. (Hobbyists buy these products too and they don't break even.)

It may well be true that the entire drone industry is run by cowboys from the Orient but if customers don't start holding them to account then things will never improve. For a start, more people should be putting the word out there.

The question is....how do you hold a duopoly accountable? You only have two choices, use their products or don't. And if you don't then your competition will.

 

[Brock Inspector]

There's a sale right now at Best Buy with a couple of new Evo batteries and a shoulder bag (On-The-Go bundle, I think they call it?) for $60 or individual batteries for $30 USD. So they're hardly unobtainium, yet.
It's a shoe-in that if you want to find a V1 Evo II and a Live Deck, it wouldn't take half an hour of Googling to do so. The only piece of the V1 Evo II ecosphere that has been in short supply (to date) is the Smart Controller V1... and that was by design because they already knew they'd be iterating the SDR. The V1 Evo II is still covered under warranty. All the FW and SW updates have so far happened concurrently with the V2 versions. It's just gaslighting to insist that the V1 Evo II is "End of Life" or "End of Service"

 

[YuKay]

There's a sale right now at Best Buy with a couple of new Evo batteries and a shoulder bag (On-The-Go bundle, I think they call it?) for $60 or individual batteries for $30 USD. So they're hardly unobtainium, yet.
It's a shoe-in that if you want to find a V1 Evo II and a Live Deck, it wouldn't take half an hour of Googling to do so. The only piece of the V1 Evo II ecosphere that has been in short supply (to date) is the Smart Controller V1... and that was by design because they already knew they'd be iterating the SDR. The V1 Evo II is still covered under warranty. All the FW and SW updates have so far happened concurrently with the V2 versions. It's just gaslighting to insist that the V1 Evo II is "End of Life" or "End of Service"

I didn't say that v1 products weren't available but that most outlets which still have stock are selling them without a public health warning so some folk are still unknowingly buying into a world of pain.

It's good that Best Buy are selling new 4K EVO batteries (and cheaply) but Best Buy are no help across the pond. And even Best Buy don't seem to be able to supply a new 4K EVO.

 

[Marcle]

Moderators, I searched for a related post that was specific to this topic and could not find one… If there is, I apologize in advance.

I cannot express my frustration with Autel enough without becoming unprofessional so I will make my issue known here in an effort to gain traction with those in a similar situation. I truly hope that someone in upper management at Autel takes time to read this because they surely are deaf to their customers that are calling and emailing regarding this situation.

I am a commercial inspection drone services company owner and pilot. My company performs many types of services to include agriculture, infrastructure, thermal, mapping, LiDAR and a few others. I have been flying DJI for the past five years professionally, and though their kits are good technology, modular and straight forward to use, I despise their flight restriction hoops one must jump through even when possessing pre-approved FAA authorizations and waivers – LAANC cannot be use with waivers.

My search for a reliable, cost effective and USA based company was nudged by DJIs overbearing , never ending restrictions and somewhat difficult to deal with customer support, something that I did not expect on the commercial side where I expected it to be more “professional”.

In that search, I came upon Autel and the Evo II Pro for lighter work. I liked the specs and everything about it and decided that I would purchase one for photogrammetry work and grounded the I2/X4S combo for a while. I purchased the Pro Rugged kit with the Live Deck, extra batteries, lights, an 8K gimbal, everything, every option for the aircraft and because we take care of our equipment and expect years of life – and the Autel care package.

The kit with all options and extended care was approx. $3000. A reasonable price and what I considered a good bang for the buck. The live deck worked very well and that was a great addition for my clients.

I purchased the kit at the end of the year in preparation for the spring and performed a couple of minor flights to become acclimated. I was impressed and looked forward to the next month or two to pass so that I could perform work with the aircraft.
I had experienced one issue with the aircraft when I attempted to change the gimbal and sent the unit back and Autel. They corrected the issue because it was only a couple of months after the purchase – thank you Autel.

An engineering side note to Autel: One of the Philips head screws used to hold the gimbal ribbon could not be removed because it was overtightened or stripped. If the gimbal is to be changed (6k to 8k and back), why would an engineer use the micro Philips head screw, especially with low grade metal? A Torx head or square head screw will prevent this issue very easily and be able to handle repeated changes.

I was now “all-in” with Autel. They answered the phone, I could speak to a human, their support was good and the package was very nice except for a few minor engineering issues – I have a mechanical engineering background so I may be critical.

When the Smart Controller was to be released, I began to explore those so that I could use an app that is terrain aware, we have our favorites. I contacted my approved reseller with a few questions. I was then told that I must be aware that Autel was experiencing chip issues and that no longer would V1 and V2 hardware be compatible. I said that there must be a mistake, no company would EOL tech hardware in that short of a time period, and of course I was incorrect. Before the flaming begins, I know how this came to be with China but that should never be a significant client related issue.

I contacted Autel directly via phone and spoke to one of two individuals that I regularly speak with. I expressed my concern to him and explained that I had purchased this 3K kit not more than a few months prior and asked what their solution to the situation would be.

I was told that they had spare parts but they did not know how long they would last, and that was their plan. Parts would be used to fix or replace as required and as long as parts were available. My response was that this plan was unacceptable, especially since I have the Autel Robotics Care plan that allows for two replacements – how would that work?

Nobody at Autel could answer basic questions… if I crash and the aircraft must be replaced, how will that be handled? Will I then be required to purchase a new controller and live deck? What if I drop and break my controller, or worse, drive over it? Those are version 1 and my new aircraft may or should be version 2. All rhetorical questions here because the answer is clear.

I respectfully asked him if Autel had a buyback / upgrade plan to implement for those in my situation, where very recently purchased kits to include everything mentioned would be negatively affected. Four phone calls over three months later, I was told that “we” (Autel) have no clear plan and you (I) should call back in a month or so. I was and I remain furious over this debacle.

No upgrade path, come on Autel. Where is the customer / vendor loyalty?

My polite debate with them was that the equipment was basically EOL as of the chip change and due to incompatibility issues with everything else Autel. I find that to be unacceptable and it all fell on deaf ears as I found myself speaking in circles. I asked to speak with someone in management that could hear my case and speak with me to come to any type of resolution. I was told that they too would tell me the same… basically to go away.

As a long time business owner, I find it appalling that Autel conducts business in this manner. If I were to conduct my business in this manner, I would be out of business.
I prepared to get away from my DJI thermal rig and older D-RTK rig in favor of the Evo II Dual and RTK. I had one on pre-order and was on a waiting list (at that time) and I cancelled both.

I believe that Autel will continue to stall until they can say that too much time has passed and we (Autel) cannot help.

I can no longer trust Autel to do what is right. How can I trust that the 12K Dual kit won’t be EOL in 1 or 2 years? That is a poor ROI when considering my M600Pro D-RTK is nearing 6yrs old and that I have rebuilt it to last, my I2 is nearly 5yrs. My M300 is newer but I expect it to last AND be supported at least 5yrs with proper maintenance, so why would expect less of Autel if they intend to sell and support “enterprise” systems? How does Autel intend to compete in the enterprise marketspace? BTW, the M600 was just recently EOL continued to be supported.

My intent is not to “bash” Autel. Their CEO and other problems are Autel problems and not mine to bear. I need to have proper resolution and I am certain that others here are in similar situations.
Autel, are you listening and will you answer the call to an amicable resolution for these Atuel deficiencies?

M. Taylor

Autel has a track record of this behavior from the X-Star, the EVO 1, now the EVO 2 V1 etc. etc. That's why they will remain behind DJI. On the X-Star...the best thing about it compared to the Phantom was a detachable payload where you could switch out cameras. They didn't pursue that...they were behind the curve with foldable drones with the EVO 1. They seem to always half a$$ things even when they do have an advantage, who knows, maybe they are too busy with automotive diagnostic scanners??? IF Autel was run properly, they could put a much bigger dent in DJI's marketshare but until they start coming through with support and keeping their loyal customer base happy, they will be an also ran in danger of being surpassed in the future by Skydio, Parrot or any number of newer drone manufacturers.

 

[Saladshooter]

Autel has a track record of this behavior from the X-Star, the EVO 1, now the EVO 2 V1 etc. etc. That's why they will remain behind DJI. On the X-Star...the best thing about it compared to the Phantom was a detachable payload where you could switch out cameras. They didn't pursue that...they were behind the curve with foldable drones with the EVO 1. They seem to always half a$$ things even when they do have an advantage, who knows, maybe they are too busy with automotive diagnostic scanners??? IF Autel was run properly, they could put a much bigger dent in DJI's marketshare but until they start coming through with support and keeping their loyal customer base happy, they will be an also ran in danger of being surpassed in the future by Skydio, Parrot or any number of newer drone manufacturers.

I enjoy my Skydio and my Parrot drones but neither of those companies are going to win any awards for service.... only DJI has their act together and even they have a long way to go. Autel would be wise to mimic DJI on the service side and put a cohesive after purchase plan in place that keeps their products running for a reasonable amount of time.

 

[nh phantom]

I didn't say that v1 products weren't available but that most outlets which still have stock are selling them without a public health warning so some folk are still unknowingly buying into a world of pain.

It's good that Best Buy are selling new 4K EVO batteries (and cheaply) but Best Buy are no help across the pond. And even Best Buy don't seem to be able to supply a new 4K EVO.

Best buy did have the evo 1 on sale yesterday for $499. and you can still get them on ebay.

 

[YuKay]

Best buy did have the evo 1 on sale yesterday for $499. and you can still get them on ebay.

Cool. I went to their website yesterday and listed all their EVO offerings and there was only a refurbished EVO 1 on view - at $799, which makes a new one at $499 a bit of surprise. Have you got a link to it?

 

[nh phantom]

Cool. I went to their website yesterday and listed all their EVO offerings and there was only a refurbished EVO 1 on view - at $799, which makes a new one at $499 a bit of surprise. Have you got a link to it?

was only a 12 hour offer. its done now

 

[YuKay]

was only a 12 hour offer. its done now

I think you must be mistaken as they haven't had any new ones for a long time. Maybe you saw this:

 

[nh phantom]

I think you must be mistaken as they haven't had any new ones for a long time. Maybe you saw this:
View attachment 11644

Could be. My bad. was more looking at the batteries than the craft.

 

[The Autelian]

I definitely sympathize with your situation but I highly doubt you will get any kind of a positive resolution. At their price points, DJI and Autel are the only games in town and yes DJI is more than 10x larger than the Autel subsidiary so they can afford to do things that Autel cannot; like offer better customer service and actual enterprise grade support.

Personally I think the main problem is that Autel is not clear about the reality of their situation; they should simply offer no more than a 90 day warranty and not label any of their products as "enterprise" since its clear they cannot honor such commitments; at least then customers who need to concern themselves with such things would know to go elsewhere.

I do think their products are great consumer/prosumer grade drones but when it comes to Enterprise grade the connotation extends to more than just the hardware; it also includes the support behind it. Requiring enterprise grade support is why I no longer build my own editing workstations and instead purchase workstation class hardware from HP with 4hr onsite support vs. fiddling around inside the case when things go wrong and waiting days for replacement parts to arrive from Amazon.

Autel on the other hand is doing everything they can to garner more sales even if it includes downright deceptive marketing such as labeling products as "enterprise" even though they know they don't have the support structure in place for it, stating the V2 chips will also feature significantly improved range (still haven't seen solid proof of this), and stating the EVO II will fly for 40min (this is not possible unless you dropped it from a spaceship 30 miles above earth with a parachute).

Fortunately for my company I only needed one and I was pretty aware of the realities of their situation prior to making a purchase but for my needs Autel fits perfectly. I have no expectations of support and will immediately sell all of my EVO II gear and upgrade to the III as soon as it is released because I already know how quickly the EVO II batteries and replacement parts will become impossible to source.

Actually, Autel as a whole is at least 10 times larger than DJI. They Are a huge supplier of auto testing equipment. It’s just their Drone department is very tiny compared to DJI’s!

 

[The Autelian]

Are you confusing the fact that the original Evo is officially End-of-Life (6 mos fair notice, incidentally), with the Evo II Version 1 that you have said is EOL? Because other than the SDR chipset and nomenclature, the V2 airframe is identical. The warranty issue is that someday in the future Autel may have to upgrade to a non-V1 if it's unrepairable (a broken SDR board? Because they've still got every other component). It's NOT End-of-Life, so much as the introduction of a new V2 iteration that doesn't do two specific things: Work with the Live View or the V1 controllers.

You need to go to NAB in Vegas next month.
Autel and DJI execs will be there! This is the only way to get solid answers. I’ll be going.

 

[herein2021]

Actually, Autel as a whole is at least 10 times larger than DJI. They Are a huge supplier of auto testing equipment. It’s just their Drone department is very tiny compared to DJI’s!

That's why I stated "Autel Subsidiary", just because a subsidiary is a part of a much larger company does not mean they are allowed to use the resources of the larger company. Subsidiaries do not last long if they are not profitable.

 

[Eagle's Eye Photo]

The fact that Autel has a large automotive division has no more relevence to the Autel drone subsidiary, than FedEx having any influence on their subsidiary Fedex Office (formerly Kinko's).

 

[mtaylor]

It might be water under the bridge and does not address your Autel issues, however likewise flying DJI for over 6 years, and routinely hear about people having issues with DJI go fence etc. What I have been doing for several years is to get a DJI custom unlock code for blanket areas that you can then use your 107.41 authorizations with, and, have it apply and work across multiple DJI aircraft (you have to provide list of FCs for each aircraft). Granted it can take a a half hour or more to submit the custom unlock code request if you have all of your info at hand (e.g. 107.41 authorizations, aircraft FCs and SNs, any applicable waivers, etc). However once you have the unlock code which can be valid for months if not a year or more, simply unlock the aircraft using the applicable code, and off you go. Have even used the codes to unlock an aircraft indoors thats was in an NFZ. Something you do have to watch out for with the custom unlock code is make sure a) you are not requesting a self unlock, b) you have your dronzone 107.41 airspace authorizations, c) set the correct radius diameter in km, d) set the valid data start/stop range. For example, I have an custom unlock zone that spans 5 airports that include a B and 4 Ds. Of course the above is not great for ad hoc just get up and go, however with a few minutes of advanced planning, you can get up and go even faster.

@gschulzuio Thank you for that detailed information. I have long term 107.41 authorizations in numerous B and D airspace in my tri-state region.

I will use your advice to explore those DJI options. It would be especially useful with the M300 for a number of reasons.
Most of my 107.41 authorizations are blanket airspace authorizations for that specific airport.

Do you know if that will cause issues with the process you have outlined in bullet point “c)"?

If I experience difficulties, may I reach out to you directly?

Thank you.

 

[mtaylor]

Oh I agree, I am just saying it could be worse. Personally I've never needed or expected any warranty service since 2014 and every drone acquisition has paid for itself many times over.

I think we both already know how Autel is going to handle this and its going to involve leaving you high and dry.



They actually do have an Autel employee @Blade Strike who they hired specifically to monitor forums like these in addition to other customer relations type duties and he may see this forum post and bring it to Autel's attention. @mtaylor you may even want to try sending @Blade Strike a PM to bring his attention to this thread. Autel has had a lot of churn in leadership lately though, so not sure if customer service is high on their priorities list at the moment.

@herein2021 Very useful information. One of their employees mentioned that they attempt to monitor some communications, but that was not the name of the individual that I spoke with.

I will reach out... thank you again!

 

[mtaylor]

Autel has a track record of this behavior from the X-Star, the EVO 1, now the EVO 2 V1 etc. etc. That's why they will remain behind DJI. On the X-Star...the best thing about it compared to the Phantom was a detachable payload where you could switch out cameras. They didn't pursue that...they were behind the curve with foldable drones with the EVO 1. They seem to always half a$$ things even when they do have an advantage, who knows, maybe they are too busy with automotive diagnostic scanners??? IF Autel was run properly, they could put a much bigger dent in DJI's marketshare but until they start coming through with support and keeping their loyal customer base happy, they will be an also ran in danger of being surpassed in the future by Skydio, Parrot or any number of newer drone

Autel has a track record of this behavior from the X-Star, the EVO 1, now the EVO 2 V1 etc. etc. That's why they will remain behind DJI. On the X-Star...the best thing about it compared to the Phantom was a detachable payload where you could switch out cameras. They didn't pursue that...they were behind the curve with foldable drones with the EVO 1. They seem to always half a$$ things even when they do have an advantage, who knows, maybe they are too busy with automotive diagnostic scanners??? IF Autel was run properly, they could put a much bigger dent in DJI's marketshare but until they start coming through with support and keeping their loyal customer base happy, they will be an also ran in danger of being surpassed in the future by Skydio, Parrot or any number of newer drone manufacturers.

@Marcle It is good to know the history and from those that have been witness to that history.

Your examples are precisely why I withdrew my request for the RTK and Dual versions of the aircraft — too much monetary risk considering recent events and the apparent lack of concern.