Autel Robotics
{{Short description|Chinese aerial drone manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Autel Robotics Co., Ltd.
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| type = Private
| industry = Drone
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| hq_location_city = Shenzhen
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = Maxwell Lee, Li Hongjing
| products =
| owner = Formerly Autel Intelligent Technology
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| website = {{URL|https://www.autelrobotics.com}}
}}
Autel Robotics Co., Ltd. is a Chinese aerial drone manufacturer.{{cite web |last1=Brewster |first1=Thomas |title=Exclusive: U.S. States Are Flying Thousands Of Chinese Drones Across The East Coast. Marco Rubio Is Furious. |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2023/06/01/american-states-fly-thousands-of-chinese-drones-across-east-coast/?sh=621781406495 |work=Forbes |access-date=17 September 2023}}
History
Autel Robotics Co., Ltd. was founded in 2014 in Shenzhen{{Cite web |last=Yijin |first=Wang |title=Autel Robotics challenges DJI with high-performance drones |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/36Kr-KrASIA/Autel-Robotics-challenges-DJI-with-high-performance-drones |access-date=2023-11-08 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}} by Maxwell Lee and Li Hongjing. Maxwell Lee is a Chinese American entrepreneur.{{cite web |last1=Mortimer |first1=Gary |title=Is Autel a Chinese company? |url=https://www.suasnews.com/2023/08/is-autel-a-chinese-company/ |website=suasnews.com |date=19 August 2023 |publisher=sUAS News |access-date=30 September 2023}}
Autel Robotics has received government funding and support from the Chinese government. The company released its first drone called X-Star in 2015 in global markets and has other notable product lines, including the Evo and Dragon Fish series.
In 2021 Autel Robotics had a 7% share of the UAV market in the United States. Its market share increased after leading rival DJI was restricted by the US government.{{cite web |last1=Chon |first1=Gina |title=DJI is a more elusive U.S. target than Huawei |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/dji-is-more-elusive-us-target-than-huawei-2021-12-17/ |website=reuters.com |publisher=Reuters |access-date=17 September 2023}} Along with DJI their drones have been widely acquired by US law enforcement and government agencies. Concerns have frequently been raised about potential risks associated with this use, but significant evidence of risk has not been presented and there is criticism of those concerns.
In 2023 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Autel Robotics made its intention to surpass DJI in both technology and market share known.{{cite web |last1=KINSELLA |first1=PAT |title=Audacious Autel just supersized their drone range |url=https://www.t3.com/news/audacious-autel-just-supersized-their-drone-range |website=t3.com |date=13 January 2023 |publisher=T3 |access-date=17 September 2023}} In 2023, Autel Robotics threatened to sue a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute for defamation over an op-ed piece in Defense News that labeled their products a national security risk.{{Cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=David |last2=Mickle |first2=Tripp |date=2025-02-11 |title=Chinese Companies' New Tactic to Stop Damaging Research: Legal Threats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/technology/chinese-company-legal-threats-researchers.html |access-date=2025-02-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
Organization
Autel Robotics Co., Ltd. used to be a subsidiary of Autel Intelligent Technology but was spun-off prior to Autel Intelligent Technology's IPO.{{cite web |title=IPO Prospectus of Autel Intelligent Technology |url=https://static.sse.com.cn/disclosure/listedinfo/bulletin/star/c/688208_20200117_2.pdf |website=Shanghai Stock Exchange |access-date=19 February 2024}}
In 2023 Autel Robotics had offices in China, Italy, the United States, Germany, and Singapore. The company's branch in the U.S. is located in Seattle.
Products
File:Autel EVO II Pro V3 (FA3XWRMFNT) (2-2-2024).jpg
- EVO Nano+, ultra-light drone{{cite web |last1=Fisher |first1=Jim |title=Autel Robotics Evo Nano+ Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/autel-robotics-evo-nano-plus |website=PC Mag |date=18 November 2022 |publisher=pcmag.com |access-date=17 September 2023}}
- EVO Lite, light drone with a 4k camera. Small enough that a FAA remote ID is not required{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Ishveena |title=Which Autel Robotics drones are approved for FAA Remote ID? |url=https://dronedj.com/2023/09/04/autel-drone-faa-remote-id/ |website=dronedj.com |publisher=Drone DJ |access-date=17 September 2023}}
- EVO Lite +, light drone with a 5k camera{{cite web |last1=Ramirez |first1=Mark Anthony |title=Autel Evo Lite+ drone review: Up, up, and away we go! |url=https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/autel-evo-lite-drone-review-up-up-and-away-we-go |website=Laptop Magazine |date=31 January 2023 |publisher=laptopmag.com |access-date=17 September 2023}}
- Autel EVO II V3, most popular model in 2023
- Autel EVO Max, intended for the emergency response market
- EVO Max T4, intended to be a serious competitor to DJI's offering. It has increased autonomy, AI features, and an open architecture.{{cite web |last1=Todhunter |first1=Matt |title=IDEX 2023: Autel Robotics showcases DJI challenger drone |url=https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/uv-online/idex-2023-autel-robotics-showcases-dji-challenger/ |website=shephardmedia.com |publisher=Shephard Media |access-date=17 September 2023}} Features a thermal camera as standard.{{cite web |last1=Juniper |first1=Adam |title=Autel EVO MAX 4T is a heat-seeking thermal drone for first responders |url=https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/autel-evo-max-4t-is-a-heat-seeking-thermal-drone-for-first-responders |website=digitalcameraworld.com |date=5 January 2023 |publisher=Digital Camera World |access-date=17 September 2023}}
- Dragonfish, fixed wing drone with VTOL capabilities
- Dragonfish Lite, smaller version of the Dragonfish
- Dragonfish Pro, a long range variant of the Dragonfish
Users
- U.S. Capitol Police, briefly operated Autel Robotics drones before being retired due to security concerns. The adoption of the drones was criticized by Senator Ted Cruz{{cite web |last1=Shabad |first1=Rebecca |date=2 June 2023 |title=U.S. Capitol Police have stopped using Chinese-made drones |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/capitol-police-stops-using-chinese-made-drones-pushback-rcna87491 |access-date=17 September 2023 |website=NBC News |publisher=}}{{cite web |title=Marco Rubio: Capitol Police Needs to Stop Using Chinese Drones |url=https://www.floridadaily.com/marco-rubio-capitol-police-needs-to-stop-using-chinese-drones/ |website=floridadaily.com |date=6 June 2023 |publisher=Florida Daily |access-date=17 September 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Shepardson |first1=David |title=Two senators propose to bar US FAA from using Chinese drones |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/two-senators-propose-bar-us-faa-using-chinese-drones-2023-06-08/ |access-date=17 September 2023 |website=Reuters |publisher=}}