Had another battery go bad on my autel evo.

[Robert Dorin]

I was out flying today and all of a sudden I the app I got a DAMAGED BATTERY GOING HOME on the remote app. Just like that, battery # 3 down the tubes, has anyone had or is having any of the same issues, this is getting frustrating and expensive. Of course Autel will not replace the batteries, imagine that

 

[Peter Goldwing]

how old is the battery, how many charges you think?

 

[Robert Dorin]

about 6 months old, 67 charges, 67 seems to be the magic number for my Autel Batteries

 

[Peter Goldwing]

Can you try contact cleaner on the battery terminals to see if the problem continues, Fly it in an open space at low altitude so you wont lose it. If you do please report the outcome.
Im trying to prepare myself for those times but it is going to take me awhile because I only have like 4-5 charges on my 3 batteries and the drone is back to WA. ( for the second time) Its going to be like a month before I get it back.
How do you know exactly the number of charges?

 

[mike9591]

As a LiPo cell depletes (for many reasons), the first thing noticed is quickly reduced flight times. Once the battery is under full load in flight, you should check the cells. They should all shown an even balance. If even ONE cell is off, the battery is toast...

HEAT, is the primary enemy of drone batteries. Some batteries swell, some do not. Typically, the batteries last just over a year.. used often, or not. It does not matter.

Fly the battery down to 40%. Do not fully charge them, and leave them in the case. Self discharging ruins them. Self discharge is a safety feature since many drone users seem to forget they left fully charged batteries in the case, or on the drone.

Batteries should be warrantied for 12 mos from DOP.... check with Autel to verify.

 

[Byeongnam kim]

how old is the battery, how many charges you think?

normally battery charger 500 ~700 times ?

 

[rburrows4]

How do you trickle charge an Evo battery?

 

[last_xstarfighter]

This seems to be an ongoing quality control issue with Autel batteries since the X-star drone, that has left many many X-star drones dead paperweights because now they no longer make the batteries,and if you are lucky enough to find a new one, you have a 50/50 chance it will be dead on arrival. I think everyone needs to start a mass email campaign to have Autel step up their quality control,and hopefully even start a re-issue for X-star batteries as well. I have written them several times and only received 1 reply that basically said, oh well too bad so sad basically because the x-star is no longer supported, yet they expect us to just go drop easily over $1000 on their next new drone? I'm sorry, but I'm not that kinda rich by any means, I buy product and I expect it to last many years with proper care. My phantom 3 still works just fine, battery too,and I only ever had 1 battery for it.

 

[Dranos EVO 2]

Which EVO

 

[quinn karter]

I was out flying today and all of a sudden I the app I got a DAMAGED BATTERY GOING HOME on the remote app. Just like that, battery # 3 down the tubes, has anyone had or is having any of the same issues, this is getting frustrating and expensive. Of course Autel will not replace the batteries, imagine that

I have or had a similar problem with EVO 2s. My batteries would overheat near the end of the max flight time. This is when the batter is at its hottest temp. But instead of simple battery damage, the entire drone just shut down. I purchased another EVO2, as Autel would not cover the 1st crash or (fall out of the sky). They never hold up there warranty. They always find a loophole. The second evo 2 had the same battery issue. It's power shut down over a lake. It took me a week to find it , using DJI drones with polarized lenses to see under the water. I found it a week later, went for a swim and retrieved it. It's ruined. The warranty , again , is not being honored by Autel. They found another loophole to deny my warranty. Anyway, because Autel has pushed their drones to manufacturing limits, it does not mean they were meant to fly in such a manner. If flying in any temps greater than 85 degrees and high humidity, you will need to give the evo 2 rest hovers and watch the battery temp go down intermittently. This is especially the case if flying in Ludicrous Mode. At 140 F the battery will become unstable. It may get damaged, fuse to the EVO battery pin connectors or simply shut down. The only warning the EVO 2 app gives, is something like,' battery overheating, performance will be reduced.' however, this does not stop the battery's temps from continuously increasing. Eventually, If you don't get it landed, you will have a problem. If I ever buy another evo 2, i will not use Ludicrous mode and I will not fly it for more than 30 minutes at a time. I also will avoid days of high heat and humidity and always check the battery temp in the Apps submenues.

 

[quinn karter]

I have or had a similar problem with EVO 2s. My batteries would overheat near the end of the max flight time. This is when the batter is at its hottest temp. But instead of simple battery damage, the entire drone just shut down. I purchased another EVO2, as Autel would not cover the 1st crash or (fall out of the sky). They never hold up there warranty. They always find a loophole. The second evo 2 had the same battery issue. It's power shut down over a lake. It took me a week to find it , using DJI drones with polarized lenses to see under the water. I found it a week later, went for a swim and retrieved it. It's ruined. The warranty , again , is not being honored by Autel. They found another loophole to deny my warranty. Anyway, because Autel has pushed their drones to manufacturing limits, it does not mean they were meant to fly in such a manner. If flying in any temps greater than 85 degrees and high humidity, you will need to give the evo 2 rest hovers and watch the battery temp go down intermittently. This is especially the case if flying in Ludicrous Mode. At 140 F the battery will become unstable. It may get damaged, fuse to the EVO battery pin connectors or simply shut down. The only warning the EVO 2 app gives, is something like,' battery overheating, performance will be reduced.' however, this does not stop the battery's temps from continuously increasing. Eventually, If you don't get it landed, you will have a problem. If I ever buy another evo 2, i will not use Ludicrous mode and I will not fly it for more than 30 minutes at a time. I also will avoid days of high heat and humidity and always check the battery temp in the Apps submenues.

PS, I am beginning to look into VTOL (Vertical Takeoff) UASs. They fly fast, hover when needed and have very long fligh times. by design, they will not have overheat issue when in fixed wing flight mode. Many have incredible range as well.

 

[last_xstarfighter]

I have or had a similar problem with EVO 2s. My batteries would overheat near the end of the max flight time. This is when the batter is at its hottest temp. But instead of simple battery damage, the entire drone just shut down. I purchased another EVO2, as Autel would not cover the 1st crash or (fall out of the sky). They never hold up there warranty. They always find a loophole. The second evo 2 had the same battery issue. It's power shut down over a lake. It took me a week to find it , using DJI drones with polarized lenses to see under the water. I found it a week later, went for a swim and retrieved it. It's ruined. The warranty , again , is not being honored by Autel. They found another loophole to deny my warranty. Anyway, because Autel has pushed their drones to manufacturing limits, it does not mean they were meant to fly in such a manner. If flying in any temps greater than 85 degrees and high humidity, you will need to give the evo 2 rest hovers and watch the battery temp go down intermittently. This is especially the case if flying in Ludicrous Mode. At 140 F the battery will become unstable. It may get damaged, fuse to the EVO battery pin connectors or simply shut down. The only warning the EVO 2 app gives, is something like,' battery overheating, performance will be reduced.' however, this does not stop the battery's temps from continuously increasing. Eventually, If you don't get it landed, you will have a problem. If I ever buy another evo 2, i will not use Ludicrous mode and I will not fly it for more than 30 minutes at a time. I also will avoid days of high heat and humidity and always check the battery temp in the Apps submenues.

Ouch, sounds like the Evo is going the way of the X-star, crap batteries,and then they stop making them.

 

[quinn karter]

He

I was out flying today and all of a sudden I the app I got a DAMAGED BATTERY GOING HOME on the remote app. Just like that, battery # 3 down the tubes, has anyone had or is having any of the same issues, this is getting frustrating and expensive. Of course Autel will not replace the batteries, imagine that

Here is a stranger story. I bought three Autel 3vo 2 drones. The 1st 2 were the 6k pro and the 3rd was the 8k. The 1st one fell out of the sky at 3 weeks, the second fell from the sky in 3 weeks, the 3rd(the 8k), fell from the sky in 2 weeks after purchase. They were flown about 2 hours per day. I sent the first one back in crashed condition, they said it was my fault and wouldn't honor their warranty,. They didn't even have the balls to send me the crashed drone back, in case I would discover the real reason it went into total power failure and fell. The second 2 also went into total power failure and fell from the sky. This time, I noticed the problem the EVO2 was having. The negative pin leads between the Battery and the aircraft were fusing together. I only noticed this, because I was having difficulty removing the battery from the second drone. The 4 pins that were fused made it difficult to remove the battery. The third evo 2 developed the same problem in less than 2 weeks. All were bought from Autel itself, through B7H, Amazon, and another certified dealer in the USA. Needless to say, I am not going to buy or ever fly an EVO2 again. I am not going to take the reponsibility of flying around a potential brick, risking human injury or property damage. I would get blamed, not autel. The contacted the FAA but they may not be able to investigate the Airworthiness of the EVO2 drones. I was told they ussually only investigate UAS of 55lbs and above. If less , they are not required to investigate. Watch for this problem. I think it occurs when the Motors try to draw to much power from the battery under certain conditions like high winds or a high speed altitude climb. The Power drain heats up the batteryand aircraft connectors and fuses them together.

 

[last_xstarfighter]

He

Here is a stranger story. I bought three Autel 3vo 2 drones. The 1st 2 were the 6k pro and the 3rd was the 8k. The 1st one fell out of the sky at 3 weeks, the second fell from the sky in 3 weeks, the 3rd(the 8k), fell from the sky in 2 weeks after purchase. They were flown about 2 hours per day. I sent the first one back in crashed condition, they said it was my fault and wouldn't honor their warranty,. They didn't even have the balls to send me the crashed drone back, in case I would discover the real reason it went into total power failure and fell. The second 2 also went into total power failure and fell from the sky. This time, I noticed the problem the EVO2 was having. The negative pin leads between the Battery and the aircraft were fusing together. I only noticed this, because I was having difficulty removing the battery from the second drone. The 4 pins that were fused made it difficult to remove the battery. The third evo 2 developed the same problem in less than 2 weeks. All were bought from Autel itself, through B7H, Amazon, and another certified dealer in the USA. Needless to say, I am not going to buy or ever fly an EVO2 again. I am not going to take the reponsibility of flying around a potential brick, risking human injury or property damage. I would get blamed, not autel. The contacted the FAA but they may not be able to investigate the Airworthiness of the EVO2 drones. I was told they ussually only investigate UAS of 55lbs and above. If less , they are not required to investigate. Watch for this problem. I think it occurs when the Motors try to draw to much power from the battery under certain conditions like high winds or a high speed altitude climb. The Power drain heats up the batteryand aircraft connectors and fuses them together.

I would most definitely save this info, it sounds to me like finally there are grounds for a major lawsuit.As for Autel not giving back your drone or honoring warranty, Hell yes I would engage an attorney for a lawsuit. This could be the traction everyone with dead x-star batteries and dying evo batteries needs. Thank you for sharing your ordeal

 

[mike9591]

Lawsuit will be a bust. Mfg's are replacing the batteries within the warranty period, and not after.. they don't have to. LiPo batteries avg lifespan is about 18 mos, or sooner. These batteries break down with any external or internal heat. Same reasons EV vehicles pretty much bury the Li battery in the car away from sun, and other elements.

The BIGGEST reason these can fail prematurely is the many batteries constantly charged fully, and then stored away. This is BAD for batteries. Auto Discharge is a SAFETY feature, but it heats the battery internally for a long duration over the process of discharge. HEAT is bad for LiPo's. Leaving batteries in a warm car, exposed to sun, or storing in a warmer garage.. all bad ideas.

Any lawsuit would go nowhere. People have claimed to want to sue DJI for MP, and MP2 batteries causing drone loss, swelling midflight, but DJI says that swelling happens while charging, and in most cases the user knew the battery was faulty, yet flew with it anyway.

Batteries are expensive, but they are expendables. Problem for many mfg's will be stocking older batteries. There simply are not enough, and as the number of owners goes down, so will demand for batteries. Autel will not pay for a run of 10K, or 20K batteries to be made.. those are common MIN orders from suppliers.

Buy batteries when you can. Fly with good batteries that are not older, and lastly if you fly a drone on weak batteries then you should NEVER fly over water, or any distances over a few hundred feet. Mark your older batteries so you know they are aged...

Forget lawsuits... no lawyer will want this case. MFG's do NOT have to supply batteries for discontinued product lines. Evo is still selling, so those should be in supply.. and would be, but Covid was a major issue for Autel, DJI, Parrot, Yuneec. We use all of those company products in our company, so we also must deal with supply issues. Personally my own Evo I bought an additional Fly More Battery combo kit recently. It's $200+, but it's a couple batts, props, and a bag for less than the price of 2 individual batteries at most retailers.

 

[last_xstarfighter]

Lawsuit will be a bust. Mfg's are replacing the batteries within the warranty period, and not after.. they don't have to. LiPo batteries avg lifespan is about 18 mos, or sooner. These batteries break down with any external or internal heat. Same reasons EV vehicles pretty much bury the Li battery in the car away from sun, and other elements.

The BIGGEST reason these can fail prematurely is the many batteries constantly charged fully, and then stored away. This is BAD for batteries. Auto Discharge is a SAFETY feature, but it heats the battery internally for a long duration over the process of discharge. HEAT is bad for LiPo's. Leaving batteries in a warm car, exposed to sun, or storing in a warmer garage.. all bad ideas.

Any lawsuit would go nowhere. People have claimed to want to sue DJI for MP, and MP2 batteries causing drone loss, swelling midflight, but DJI says that swelling happens while charging, and in most cases the user knew the battery was faulty, yet flew with it anyway.

Batteries are expensive, but they are expendables. Problem for many mfg's will be stocking older batteries. There simply are not enough, and as the number of owners goes down, so will demand for batteries. Autel will not pay for a run of 10K, or 20K batteries to be made.. those are common MIN orders from suppliers.

Buy batteries when you can. Fly with good batteries that are not older, and lastly if you fly a drone on weak batteries then you should NEVER fly over water, or any distances over a few hundred feet. Mark your older batteries so you know they are aged...

Forget lawsuits... no lawyer will want this case. MFG's do NOT have to supply batteries for discontinued product lines. Evo is still selling, so those should be in supply.. and would be, but Covid was a major issue for Autel, DJI, Parrot, Yuneec. We use all of those company products in our company, so we also must deal with supply issues. Personally my own Evo I bought an additional Fly More Battery combo kit recently. It's $200+, but it's a couple batts, props, and a bag for less than the price of 2 individual batteries at most retailers.

I think you missed the entire point here, the lawsuit would be for issuing defective batteries from the start, Do you see forum thread after thread after thread about DJI phantom 3 batteries dying mid air, or just plain dying and not taking a charge after 5-15 uses? no you don't because they made a quality product, Autel on the other hand made an inferior defective battery with a know issue and they just kept on going and swapping replacement batteries for most until the warranty/life expectancy of the drone and then just said Oh well too bad, you don't see dji phantom owners with brand new out of the box drones they can't fly because of dead batteries do you? The fact you can still purchase new and used phantom batteries that still work without issue speaks volumes. That was my point of the law suit

 

[mike9591]

I think you missed the entire point here, the lawsuit would be for issuing defective batteries from the start, Do you see forum thread after thread after thread about DJI phantom 3 batteries dying mid air, or just plain dying and not taking a charge after 5-15 uses? no you don't because they made a quality product, Autel on the other hand made an inferior defective battery with a know issue and they just kept on going and swapping replacement batteries for most until the warranty/life expectancy of the drone and then just said Oh well too bad, you don't see dji phantom owners with brand new out of the box drones they can't fly because of dead batteries do you? The fact you can still purchase new and used phantom batteries that still work without issue speaks volumes. That was my point of the law suit

Phantom's are still being sold. Hey it'd be nice if Autel had Third Party options for out of program products but they do not. DJI has been said to have a silent Non Compete when it comes to licensing their products to third party companies. There are NO third party options for Parrot, Yuneec, or Autel.

Autel was replacing batteries most within warranty, some just out... Now at this point I would imagine nearly all Evo's sold at the release are needing new batteries, but that was what.. 2 years ago. And YES there are TONS of Mavic, Mavic 2 Pro battery issues reported almost daily. Swelling batteries causing the drone to crash.. yes it's there. Again, how do any of us or the mfg know just how the batteries are cared for?? They don't. Batteries are expendables. That's just how it is. On my own DJI birds, I replace them as often... 1 year there about. If one still works after that great, but I don't really expect them to given the design, the composition of Lipo, and expected lifespan. Im in Fl, so it's also very difficult to not have these batteries exposed to the elements, and especially the higher UV here even on cooler temp days.

Lets say you run the company. There are about 100 or so Xstar owners still in possession of their drone. Battery supply has ran out other than some maybe used for service. To do a production run requires buying a min of 10K batteries to be made... What would be the odds that you could sell all of those? No company is going to pay to make all those batteries for a product that is out of program. Evo is next on the block, but for those owners there are still many retailers still selling them, so they are not officially out of program yet... Batteries have been in low supply due to Covid and overseas procurement of parts, and materials to make them.

Our company was flying 4 Evo's and now we fly E2P and one 8K. We ordered a dozen batteries for them. Since purchasing, we have combined 234 flights on those batteries in just 10 weeks or so. Every EVO battery had at least 100 flights on them. OTOH my own personal Evo I made the mistake of letting them self discharge. That's a NO NO.

We also have Anafi and Yuneec H series we fly. We have battery issues for those as well. Anafi owners were really pissed when their batteries failed at $99 for a new one. They have been more costly since Covid.

DJI is a major company with lots of resources, and no doubt they probably do a production run of 500K batteries every qtr if not more... Multi Billion dollar companies can do that. Just wait a little longer for the MA2 battery complaints up the wazoo... It will happen, and people will be pissed they have to pay $120 for a MA2 battery when the 3 pack combo with the drone was only $200 extra, and included other accessories. Yeah, they did the same for MP2 when those batteries started failing.... End result? People bought new batteries.

Good luck with the lawsuit. Hope it works out.

 

[quinn karter]

A mod to keep evo 2 battery temps much lower. I removed the orange plastic covering the battery bay on eCh side.

 

[quinn karter]

I went from max flight Temps of 135 F to 115F. To get the best cooling, I fly sideways. The modified side panels let plenty of air in. The battery cools down even when flying in ludicrous mode at 45 mph

 

[Dranos EVO 2]

Interesting...what what Autel will say about the warranty?