\'hoverboard\' scooter fires: faulty batteries may be to blame

Self-
The balance \"hovercraft\" scooter, once hailed as a fashion electronic skateboard, is now the subject of an ongoing safety investigation in the United States.
Some online retailers have removed certain brands from virtual shelves after several incidents of future equipment fires or explosions.
But it\'s probably not the board itself that caused these flashes.
But their energy: raw lithium-
It\'s an ion battery, experts say. Lithium-
Two scientists told Live Science that ion batteries with circuit failures may explain some of the recent problems.
For example, WGNtv reported that a charging hovercraft exploded and burned a house in the state of Luis Anna before Thanksgiving. com.
According to Fox 13, another plank caught fire at a shopping mall in Auburn, Washington, in early December.
In light of these and other events, online retail giants Amazon and Overstock have removed some hovercraft models from their websites.
In addition, many airlines are now banning aircraft from boarding on the grounds of safety risks. The U. S.
Customs and Border Protection Bureau (CBP)
According to a statement from the agency, 164 hoverboards with fake batteries or other counterfeit signs have been seized. [
9 strange ways your tech device can hurt you]Lithium-
In 1991, Sony commercialized ion batteries for the first time, powering countless electronic products including mobile phones, laptops, power tools and children\'s toys.
Lithium itself is quite dangerous;
If it is in contact with oxygen or water, it may explode.
But Sony has developed a way to control the metal, said Lloyd Gordon, chief electrical safety officer at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
Gordon told Life Science that the invention kept lithium ion in \"some sort of suspension or chemical so it wouldn\'t be pure lithium . \".
Now, there are about six kinds of lithium.
Ion technology, he said.
But, in essence, scientists have developed methods to ensure that ions flow through the electrolyte fluid from the positive extreme of the battery, and then reach the cathode, releasing energy when this happens.
During charging, the ions return to the anode.
The battery that contains these elements is usually not a problem, but if the battery is not made properly, the electronic circuit around the battery can cause a fault, Gordon said.
\"Lithium Technology itself is very safe if we prevent users from overcharging, overdischarging or making it too hot,\" he said . \".
Battery problem-
Ion battery in brand
Laptops and mobile phones are usually manufactured according to strict standards, Gordon said.
For example, a laptop may have 12 lithium
Ion battery, \"there is a small computer in the battery --
Called Smart Battery-
\"This is actually monitoring and taking care of each cell,\" Gordon said . \".
\"If a battery starts to deteriorate, it will stop the battery from working.
But fake lithium.
Ion batteries often lack these safety features and will miss basic electronic circuits, he added.
If there is a problem with lithium
Over-charge or over-heat ion batteries-
When a person uses it on a hovercraft or plugs it into a charger --
Ions can be gathered in one place and deposited in the battery as lithium metal.
At the same time, heat causes oxygen bubbles to be produced in the gel.
\"Remember that oxygen and lithium are not getting along well? \" Gordon said.
\"Once the oxygen bubble reaches the lithium metal, it will have a very hot reaction, just like the spark in July 4.
Like ignition.
\"In contrast, wellmade lithium-
If the ion battery is too hot, it will turn off automatically, he said.
Overdischarge or overcharging can also lead to adverse reactions or electrical short circuit, Gordon said.
Therefore, the wrong charger can be used, which means that the user should be careful to use only the charger specially made for the device, and if the device itself does not stop charging, do not overcharge the circuit board, Gordon said.
He also warned that people should never pour water on lithium fire.
Instead, people can use chemicals.
Based on the fire extinguisher, call 911 to extinguish the fire.
\"Lithium fires are very dangerous, and we have some catastrophic lithium fires, especially in [during the]
Development of lithium [batteries],\" Gordon said.
Precautions for hovercraft may be somewhat low
High quality hovercraft using lithium below standard
Paul Shearing, a chemistry engineer at University College London, said Ion batteries.
\"One of the reasons the battery is a problem may be that they don\'t have this protection circuit or battery --
A management system that helps prevent dangerous charging and discharging, \"Shearing told Live Science.
Consumers report that, in fact, there are very few regulations on hoverboards at present, and most hoverboards are not made by well-known brands.
\"They are usually purchased from Chinese factories by small companies you may have never heard (we hadn\'t)
Consumer Reports say.
\"Then these companies turn around and sell their products in the United States. S.
\"At the same time, the US governmentS.
Commission on Consumer Product Safety (CPSC)
At least 11 reports on hoverboards are under investigation
According to USA Today, fire broke out in 10 states last year.
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