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Catching Fire        

Exploding Hoverboards

December 15, 2015

Who would have thought that this year’s most popular holiday gift keeps catching on fire? Hoverboards have been catching fire around the US – burned down a house, caught fire at a mall and even airlines have banned them from coming on-board. Whether they are plugged in or not, the big problem of why these machines are catching fire is due to the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. And not to mention, they are a lot more prone to defects than the ones we use for our smartphones, tablets and laptops.

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The quality of the batteries are not up to par with the item – making them cheap. Who wants to spend thousands of dollars on a hoverboard, when you can get something almost identical for less money? These hoverboards aren’t knockoffs, but the batteries inside them are just mass-manufactured to crank out the popular holiday gift to purchase. When a person uses the hoverboard, it isn’t uncommon for them to bump into things, smash into places at high speeds, or make smart decisions – this can also ruin the battery on it as well.

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With cheaper batteries, the separator between each battery’s anode and cathode aren’t aligned correctly. Moreover, when the batteries are charged, massive amounts of heat are generate, leading to a rupture of the cell. Hence, a fire. These batteries pack in the energy, but with that, has it risks.

All in all, this hoverboard sensation is just a trend. In no time, there will be something else on the market for techies to play with. For now, be careful if you do receive one as a gift.

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