Why Are Hoverboards Literally Catching Fire?

Hoverboards, the trendy self-balancing scooters, gained immense popularity in recent years for their sleek design and futuristic appeal. However, a concerning issue that has surfaced is the alarming number of hoverboard fires reported across the globe. In this article, we delve into the reasons behind hoverboard fires, aiming to shed light on the potential hazards associated with these devices. Understanding these reasons is crucial for ensuring user safety and making informed choices. So, let’s explore the key factors contributing to hoverboard fires.

What are hoverboards?

Hoverboards, also known as self-balancing scooters, are two-wheeled personal transportation devices powered by rechargeable batteries. They gained significant attention due to their integration of cutting-edge technology, allowing riders to navigate effortlessly by shifting their body weight.

The rise of hoverboard fires

In recent years, reports of hoverboard fires have increased significantly, prompting concerns about the safety of these devices. Hoverboards catching fire have been attributed to various factors, ranging from battery malfunctions to manufacturing defects. It is essential to understand these reasons to prevent potential accidents and safeguard users.

Even the incident of hoverboards catching fire is not so frequently reported, then we have decided to get  an expert opinion on this

Do hoverboards still explode – An Expert Opinion

We brought this question to a professor of material science he replied and gave his point of view.

Before reading his point of view, please keep in mind that he is teaching at a reputed educational institute. So his opinion matters a lot. The professor said all the other devices also use lithium batteries but the firing episode is found relatively more in hoverboards.

This is because the hoverboard’s batteries are more powerful than the other devices and when the professor is mentioning the other device we were thinking that he is talking about mobile phones laptops small drones etc.

Why hoverboards need strong batteries

The hoverboard needs strong batteries as they need to carry the weight of the person on it. Not only on the plane surface but the hoverboards are specially designed to carry the weight of the person on it even in off-road situations.

How to prevent hoverboard from catching fire

The professor is a genius. He didn’t conclude his talk on the reasons why the hoverboard caught fire. He continued his conversation till he provided us with the precautionary measures on how we can avoid this situation in which the hoverboards catch fire.

The professor gave two remedies for it. Surprisingly both are related to the charging of the hoverboard.

• Hoverboard charging location
• The first is, never charge your hoverboard Indoors
• HoverBoard Over Charging
• The second suggestion is never to overcharge your hoverboard.

Is this the real reason which the hoverboards caught fire

One of my friends who accompanied me to the office of the professor is John and he is a very interesting fellow. He has some very interesting questions for the professor.

He said that last week he came from Shanghai. He was there with his colleagues. All office colleagues have laptops and mobile phones. Hundreds of other passengers who accompanied him on the flight have laptops and mobile phones. All mobile phones and laptops have lithium batteries. if this is so that this is the lithium battery that is actually responsible for causing the explosion.

Then the flight should have exploded. Not only this flight but all the flights carry passengers with hundreds and thousands of mobile phones and laptops in them. Besides that the carriers carry laptops mobiles and other gadgets with lithium batteries. Most of the time carry hundreds and thousands of pieces of such stuff. We never heard that any of such stuff caught fire because of this reason.

From this conversation, I concluded that my friend asked a very good question. and doubted that maybe the professor had a false opinion about lithium-ion batteries.

What Is The Main Cause of Hoverboard Exploding?

The basic reason why hoverboards catch fire or explode is diagnosed to be their lithium-ion battery. But when that lithium-ion battery is being used in several products like your laptops, cell phones. Why do they not explode and why the hoverboards do?

Do the roads the reason on which they roar around? or the amount and capacity of the battery?

Or any other reason?… I tried a lot to investigate a lot as I read about the exploding and the disasters they caused… but still I love hoverboards and wanted to know the reason behind their explosions and it’s getting on fire.

Finally, I concluded that neither it’s the battery nor it’s the roads. The main problem lies in manufacturing. When the manufacturers are not considering the safety barriers and are not using quality products. Moreover, are not going for UL certifications, they are causing you harm, with their negligence.

So if you also love hoverboards like me, don’t worry your hoverboard is not going to explode anyway…. until and unless it was manufactured by someone who doesn’t care about your life and just knows how to make money…

So whenever you are going to buy a hoverboard look for a quality manufacturer. I have just made up my mind that I will never purchase a hoverboard that is not made by a renowned and good manufacturer. I am never going to buy from an unknown seller just for the reason he is giving me a good discount. I’m never going to save a few dollars and risk my life.

So it’s not a hoverboard that explodes, it is not lithium-ion batteries too, that is dangerous. The main reason is greed and unethical manufacturing. The main reason is focusing on money instead of human life and its resources. so you just need to go with some reputed brands which have earned their names after years of good-quality production. And they will never let you down. So go ahead and enjoy your hoverboard, don’t worry that it will explode. As was it will never until and unless you are giving more importance to your money over your safety.

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The Logic behind why hoverboards catch fire

Professor smiled and appreciated my friend John for asking such a logical question. This smile from the professor and his appreciation made me think that the professor is reconsidering his thoughts.
But his counter-argument really surprised me and John as well.

The professor replied to my friend although you have a logical question to ask but remember my initial conversation on this issue. Lithium battery is not the exact problem because of which the hoverboard explodes.

I quickly jumped into the conversation and said, but professor, you said that it was the lithium battery that exploded.

Professor takes a laugh. you have the energy of a young energetic professional who is keen to know lots of things but let me complete it first. This is not a battery that creates problems, it’s the power of the battery, that if overcharged can cause an explosion.

So never excessively charge your battery. And you will remain safe from incidents in which the hoverboard caught fire.

John is a very fussy guy to handle. Although I was convinced with the professor’s answer, he was not. He quoted different incidents in which the hoverboard caught fire. All these incidents occur in 2015

Louisiana – Home destroyed due to hoverboard catching fire

John continued while narrating the incident that the house was completely burned and the family suffered a lot. The reason was that the hoverboard caught fire.

John even knew the details of the incident so he started to tell me and the professor. Actually, the 12-year-old kid of the family had a hoverboard. It has been only a few days since he started to use it. The kid plugged in the Hoverboard for charging. The mother of the kid said that she saw that suddenly the fire started to come out of it. It was like the fireworks she narrated. We never get the chance to put off the fire. In front of her eyes the powerhouse got fire and completely burnt.

New York – Home got fire due to hoverboard got the fire

This was the second incident. The circumstances were nearly the same only difference was the location. In this incident, the owner of the house had a hoverboard. He put the hoverboard on the charger to charge the battery. The hoverboard exploded while it was charging and caught fire.  Luckily someone was in the house who saw this incident and stopped the fire to expand. The reason is because of which the hoverboard exploded in both cases.

professor while commenting on these two incidents narrated by John said: that I told you earlier that do take care while charging the hoverboards otherwise they may explode. In both cases the hoverboard was charging and was actually overcharged.  John replied yes you are right in both the cases the hoverboard was charging. Even after the New York incident, the firefighter department issued a warning to the citizens to do take care of the hoverboards while charging because these hoverboards may explode while charging.

Washington – Mall evacuated as the hoverboard exploded.

I agree with what professor John said. Still, I have some doubts in my mind which I want you to please clarify if possible.

Ok please continue the professor replied.

The third incident which I want to share with you professor happened in Washington. This was a mall in which the hoverboard exploded.

Amazing thing is that the hoverboard was not charging at that time.

This thing disturbs me a lot. In the first two cases that we discussed, the hoverboard was actually charging while it exploded. But in the case of the mall the hoverboard was not on the charging.

who knows maybe it is a possibility that a hoverboard was charging while it exploded. This is also a possibility that they just finished hoverboard charging. The battery has already been overcharged and it just exploded. I added in the conversation.

John looked at me and said yes it may be a possibility we should give the benefit of the doubt it can be like that. Another incident was actually when the person was riding the hoverboard.

Hoverboard exploded during the ride

This was one of the most dangerous incidents which I am going to tell you guys, now John continued to narrate the incidents.

This was the Friday when the kid named Code was riding on his scooter. The two-wheeled scooter is commonly known as the hoverboard. It exploded and got into the fire. Code instantly jumped from a hoverboard. Got his camera and started to film the burning hoverboard. He was so afraid that he called his mother. Her mother realizing the intensity of the situation brought some baking soda with her. She ran towards the garage where the hoverboard was burning. Put some baking soda on it. Both mother and his son were hoping that the hoverboard would stop burning after this. But no use. It keeps on burning even after that.

In the movie which he uploaded this can be observed that the boy put the water on the hoverboard with the help of the cup and after three or four cups of water the fire stopped.

Look now in this case neither in the power board was on charging nor the battery was in the position of being overcharged. John finished

Is this the quality of the battery

The professor said to John yes I understand my dear. The reason why the hoverboard got fire is of the bad quality of the lithium battery. Hoverboards with bad-quality lithium batteries will certainly explode.

Lithium in itself is highly explosive material. This can get fire really very easily. We should always inquire about the lithium battery before purchasing the power board.

The Greed for money is responsible

Unfortunately for quite some time in different areas of the world the people having lust for money build the factories. In such factories, they manufacture substandard products. The labor in those parts of the world where factories are situated is very very poor. The chances of employment in those areas are also very low.

So they Deploy those poor people, use substandard material and manufacture low quality products and so can earn huge profits by making these pathetic products.

These products made in those substandard factories are sometimes sold by very big names or sold as fake brands. These products are imported and used even in the United States. The lithium battery has no exception too. Some of such cheap lithium batteries are used in the hoverboard and sold even in America.

This is a very dangerous professor, that someone is riding the hoverboard and it  explodes. I added myself to the conversation with this comment.

Yes, this is a really very inhuman professor replied. People put at stake human lives just for a small amount of the profit. Professor continued to talk.

It’s a great conversation professor John said but if you can please conclude what we can do to save ourselves from this type of incident. There are lots of lots of friends out there like me who really love to ride a hoverboard. but due to these types of incidents I am really really afraid to ride.

Conclusion

The precautionary measures to save yourself from the burning hoverboard

Yes, you are right let me give you some practical suggestions which you can apply and save yourself from this type of incidents.

One other good news is, hoverboard burning episodes are a story of past days, reported almost 5 years back. Now technology has improved so much that I don’t think so that this type of incident will occur ever again. Moreover UL laboratories are working hard to test the quality measure those can ensure to avoid any such bad incident.

Even then I will give you some practical suggestions to save yourself from this type of accident.

• First is to never overcharge your hoverboard battery.
  
• Second, always charge the power battery in the open space.
• Third and final instruction is always to buy a UL certified hoverboard.

Thank you very much professor we took your lots of time but this will certainly educate us and our readers too. We thank the professor and left.

I hope you too will find this discussion fruitful as i found it so stay safe and happy riding.

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