One of the hottest new
products right now might be a little too hot, literally. If you’re thinking
about gifting someone a Hoverboard this holiday season, you should know this
trendy new gadget has been catching fire in many cases. Hoverboards, in case
you haven’t seen people riding them around, are a self-balancing handle-less
motorized scooter. It’s like a Segway without the handlebars. They are powered
by large lithium-ion batteries that can apparently overheat and explode under
rare circumstances.
There have been many reports
made in 2015 of these hoverboards combusting or exploding. In one instance, a
family actually lost their home to a fire due to a Hoverboard that was plugged
in to charge its battery. There is also a video online that has gone viral that
shows a Hoverboard on fire on a sidewalk.
Many states have actually
banned the boards from being used on streets and sidewalks. Most major airlines
have also banned the boards and are not allowed in any checked or carry-on
luggage. Even major retailers such as Amazon and Target have stopped selling
the boards after the safety concern for the product.
Experts say the problem with
these Hoverboards has to do with the quality of the batteries being used. All
lithium-ion batteries have a flammable electrolyte in them and a lot of these
batteries are cheap and of poor quality. A professor of Materials Science and
Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University says that a lot of the hoverboards
are probably using second-tier battery sources, which could make for a higher
rate of defects. The product uses more lithium-ion batteries than most things
because they’re used to move you around, so they require the power energy to do
that. Because there’s so much energy in a small space, if something goes wrong,
it can turn out really bad.
Because of that danger, it
is advised you should not overcharge your hoverboard and it’d be safest to not
use or charge indoors.
So you may want to think
again about owning one of these boards or use caution about how you use them.
While they’re supposed to be safe, there’s a risk of getting a defected one or
one that may overheat and become a danger. It could cause serious injuries if
it happens to catch on fire. Hopefully manufacturers can look into the issue
and correct this danger soon, but for now you should know they could be faulty.
If
you or someone you know has been involved in a car crash or truck accident in
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor,
Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Westland, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield,
Waterford or any other city in Michigan, make sure to contact Motor City
Accident Attorneys by calling 1-800-411-PAIN. Motor City Accident Attorneys
know how stressful a car accident can be and want to help you get back on your
feet. They will fight tirelessly for your rights and help you get the
compensation you deserve, according to your specific case. Make sure to follow
Motor City Accident Attorneys on Twitter (@MCAccidentAtty) and Facebook. Join
the conversation by using #MCAA.
