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Hear Autel Robotics CEO Randall Warnas talk about transparency (July 14th at 4PM ET)

Kwok Wai

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Register now to hear Autel Robotics CEO Randall Warnas talk with Drones of America about transparency and setting a new standard of relationship building in the unmanned industry. July 14th at 4PM ET


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It does not recall a very beautiful French song by a great star Dalida.
Words, words...........

Profits ........ Profits ........... would be the closest words.

It is a pity that Autel by its actions (abandonment of the owners of old models of the mark) follows exactly the same slope as Yuneec.
 
acceptable life time of a craft
My career was Field Engineer working on large Electronic systems. IF, I had access to parts n software, the systems from the 80's would still be running fine.
I still fly on the original FW that was factory installed last year, never upgraded because I never had a problem, don't expect any.

too the direct answer; on a "large" hobby investment like the EVOII I would expect 4yrs (or many thousands of hours) before things start failing from normal use. so I would expect the company to repair within that window. After that when a company ends support, I would expect/hope data be available to source parts by providing the service manuals, drawings etc.

I still repair Tube Amplifiers made in the 50's because I have the schematics and the "marketplace" has new parts made from old data/specs to sell me. While the OEM may not provide parts or service, the marketplace will if it "see's" a market for something
 
we live in a different world today and lots of factors come to mind. I also was able to play in the old world so I understand the basics but we have to leave some things in the past. this might be one of them.
 
My two-penneth around transparency, and a decision whether to stay with existing EVO II Pro or to upgrade - at what cost!
What seemed like several decades ago now, I put down my pre-order deposit for the must lauded Smart Controller - for which the waters around delivery have become very muddied on an almost daily basis since.

I don't feel I want to put any blame on my supplier, who originally assured my of a 2nd shipment delivery time in late May, early June; but as time went by with only assurances the SC was shipping anytime soon, a degree of skepticism began to creep in whether CEO Warnas' talk was just that - so much hot air passing across his lips; being long on words and short on substance.

The latest intel' from my local supplier was the original 500 units of V1 configuration had all gone to the US - with supplies to the rest of the world all being sucked into that vortex, to help fulfil an order sheet demand way beyond any ability to supply.

Out of some degree of exasperation, I contacted a supplier I deal with in Shenzhen for a lot of my UAV/ROV equipment to see if there were any V1 SC in that neighbourhood!

Nothing doing there either. For the moment it seems, Autel in China is only manufacturing the V2 SC. When that current production run is completed then some V1 will be produced - subject to chip availability.

I guess my issue around transparency is somewhat biased by the fact that my current EVO II has barely logged 100 hours of flight time - which I believe to be well within a well maintained operational and depreciated life-span. That said, my questions are:

Do I wait longer in the hope my pre-order deposit might yet guarantee me being able to obtain a V1 SC, so that I can continue to offer a (commercial) service using the equipment I have - but knowing there will literally be no residual value in either the aircraft or SC from day one,
or
Do I suck up the fact the EVO II I have, has already depreciated down to nothing, because decisions made by others, and well outside my pay-grade, have literally written off a piece of flying kit that I should in the normal course of business have been able to expect at least another 2 - 3 years of use, and just buy a later model EVO II with the V2 SC?

I appreciate depreciation and assessed equipment failure over time can produce two quite different outcomes, but from my current perspective, using the EVO II Pro I have as a trade-in to help offset the cost of an almost compulsory upgrade to a EVO II that is compatible with the V2 SC is not going to work from a monetary perspective. CEO Warnas might have some conundrums of his own to deal with, but so too do the very people who have put their trust, and their hard earned money, into buying expensive equipment from a company where transparency, or lack thereof, is impacting on the livelihood and bottom line of the very people who deserve a much higher level of transparency and surety of product compatibility which does not seem to be getting offered at present.

Autel needs to consider offering V1 SC at a very heavily discounted rate to those who had the compatible EVO II, perhaps purchased before the end of 2020, or to offer a 'buy-back' of that version of the EVO II Pro at a guaranteed rate which makes purchasing the upgraded EVO II and V2 SC less like pouring money into a deep and dark hole - from which Autel would ultimately benefit anyway!

Happy and safe flying ??
 
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My two-penneth around transparency, and a decision whether to stay with existing EVO II Pro or to upgrade - at what cost!
What seemed like several decades ago now, I put down my pre-order deposit for the must lauded Smart Controller - for which the waters around delivery have become very muddied on an almost daily basis since.

I don't feel I want to put any blame on my supplier, who originally assured my of a 2nd shipment delivery time in late May, early June; but as time went by with only assurances the SC was shipping anytime soon, a degree of skepticism began to creep in whether CEO Warnas' talk was just that - so much hot air passing across his lips; being long on words and short on substance.

The latest intel' from my local supplier was the original 500 units of V1 configuration had all gone to the US - with supplies to the rest of the world all being sucked into that vortex, to help fulfil an order sheet demand way beyond any ability to supply.

Out of some degree of exasperation, I contacted a supplier I deal with in Shenzhen for a lot of my UAV/ROV equipment to see if there were any V1 SC in that neighbourhood!

Nothing doing there either. For the moment it seems, Autel in China is only manufacturing the V2 SC. When that current production run is completed then some V1 will be produced - subject to chip availability.

I guess my issue around transparency is somewhat biased by the fact that my current EVO II has barely logged 100 hours of flight time - which I believe to be well within a well maintained operational and depreciated life-span. That said, my questions are:

Do I wait longer in the hope my pre-order deposit might yet guarantee me being able to obtain a V1 SC, so that I can continue to offer a (commercial) service using the equipment I have - but knowing there will literally be no residual value in either the aircraft or SC from day one,
or
Do I suck up the fact the EVO II I have, has already depreciated down to nothing, because decisions made by others, and well outside my pay-grade, have literally written off a piece of flying kit that I should in the normal course of business have been able to expect at least another 2 - 3 years of use, and just buy a later model EVO II with the V2 SC?

I appreciate depreciation and assessed equipment failure over time can produce two quite different outcomes, but from my current perspective, using the EVO II Pro I have as a trade-in to help offset the cost of an almost compulsory upgrade to a EVO II that is compatible with the V2 SC is not going to work from a monetary perspective. CEO Warnas might have some conundrums of his own to deal with, but so too do the very people who have put their trust, and their hard earned money, into buying expensive equipment from a company where transparency, or lack thereof, is impacting on the livelihood and bottom line of the very people who deserve a much higher level of transparency and surety of product compatibility which does not seem to be getting offered at present.

Autel needs to consider offering V1 SC at a very heavily discounted rate to those who had the compatible EVO II, perhaps purchased before the end of 2020, or to offer a 'buy-back' of that version of the EVO II Pro at a guaranteed rate which makes purchasing the upgraded EVO II and V2 SC less like pouring money into a deep and dark hole - from which Autel would ultimately benefit anyway!

Happy and safe flying ??
look, why not just let the market decide? not sure what country you are from but we believe in capitalism and if there is enough demand for v1 sc devices, a second batch will probably be built. you claim the v1 sc has no value from day one, yet you can't seem to get your hands on one. that makes no sense, comrade! you know how to get one. the right price will get you pretty much whatever you want; even a v1 sc unicorn. go to the classified forum, post your wtb.....believe me it works if you offer enough rubles, er I mean euros....sorry this is about capitalism, so I meant dollars! :)

this post is in fun, sorry about that, I really feel for anyone stuck in the "no-win" situation especially the commercial and public sector. it's a bad situation nobody wanted to be here and with the circumstances on the ground constantly changing, it might get worse before it gets better. we could all wake up tomorrow and read about shots being fired in taipei.

I hope someone can ship to you soon, the sc is truly a remarkable device. the ceo seems to listen to individual plight so it can't hurt to reach out; hopefully they have plans to resolve this soon! I rather doubt the v1 sc price will drop this soon so you may have to be prepared to pay up.

I'm not sure of your current situation other than what you posted but if I didn't have an sc and I had a relatively new v1 drone, I would be trying to find ways to get myself into v2 equipment; from a timing perspective, it's still a great opportunity and it may even pay off in the long run....and for the losses, you could chalk it up to lessons learned.
 
My two-penneth around transparency, and a decision whether to stay with existing EVO II Pro or to upgrade - at what cost!
What seemed like several decades ago now, I put down my pre-order deposit for the must lauded Smart Controller - for which the waters around delivery have become very muddied on an almost daily basis since.

I don't feel I want to put any blame on my supplier, who originally assured my of a 2nd shipment delivery time in late May, early June; but as time went by with only assurances the SC was shipping anytime soon, a degree of skepticism began to creep in whether CEO Warnas' talk was just that - so much hot air passing across his lips; being long on words and short on substance.

The latest intel' from my local supplier was the original 500 units of V1 configuration had all gone to the US - with supplies to the rest of the world all being sucked into that vortex, to help fulfil an order sheet demand way beyond any ability to supply.

Out of some degree of exasperation, I contacted a supplier I deal with in Shenzhen for a lot of my UAV/ROV equipment to see if there were any V1 SC in that neighbourhood!

Nothing doing there either. For the moment it seems, Autel in China is only manufacturing the V2 SC. When that current production run is completed then some V1 will be produced - subject to chip availability.

I guess my issue around transparency is somewhat biased by the fact that my current EVO II has barely logged 100 hours of flight time - which I believe to be well within a well maintained operational and depreciated life-span. That said, my questions are:

Do I wait longer in the hope my pre-order deposit might yet guarantee me being able to obtain a V1 SC, so that I can continue to offer a (commercial) service using the equipment I have - but knowing there will literally be no residual value in either the aircraft or SC from day one,
or
Do I suck up the fact the EVO II I have, has already depreciated down to nothing, because decisions made by others, and well outside my pay-grade, have literally written off a piece of flying kit that I should in the normal course of business have been able to expect at least another 2 - 3 years of use, and just buy a later model EVO II with the V2 SC?

I appreciate depreciation and assessed equipment failure over time can produce two quite different outcomes, but from my current perspective, using the EVO II Pro I have as a trade-in to help offset the cost of an almost compulsory upgrade to a EVO II that is compatible with the V2 SC is not going to work from a monetary perspective. CEO Warnas might have some conundrums of his own to deal with, but so too do the very people who have put their trust, and their hard earned money, into buying expensive equipment from a company where transparency, or lack thereof, is impacting on the livelihood and bottom line of the very people who deserve a much higher level of transparency and surety of product compatibility which does not seem to be getting offered at present.

Autel needs to consider offering V1 SC at a very heavily discounted rate to those who had the compatible EVO II, perhaps purchased before the end of 2020, or to offer a 'buy-back' of that version of the EVO II Pro at a guaranteed rate which makes purchasing the upgraded EVO II and V2 SC less like pouring money into a deep and dark hole - from which Autel would ultimately benefit anyway!

Happy and safe flying ??
heads-up!

 

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