By now, you may have heard about the dangers of the popular toy hoverboards that are catching fire, causing burns and property damage. They continue to make news as additional fires have been reported, possibly due to many children receiving the toy as a holiday gift.
Now, a new report from Stanford University says that researchers may have found a way to improve the battery technology that runs hoverboards as well as items such as laptop computers. Stanford researchers have designed a lithium-ion battery that they say is “the first battery that can be shut down and revived over repeated heating and cooling cycles without compromising performance.”
The risk of lithium-ion batteries catching fire has been a concern for some time. Stanford hopes their findings will help improve the safety of these types of batteries in the future.
For people who already have hoverboards, however, the risk of fire is still a problem. A video posted on January 13, 2016, by a British vlogger shows the man using his hoverboard for the first time. In a matter of moments, it begins to smoke and then catches fire.
In December, the Consumer Product Safety Commission began actively investigating the cause of fires in hoverboards. Because some catch fire while being ridden and others catch fire while the battery is charging, they can be dangerous even when they are not in use.
If you or a family member has been injured by a hoverboard or other defective product, you can take steps to hold the manufacturer accountable. With an experienced products liability attorney on your side, you will have an advocate against negligent manufacturers.
Source: www.cbsnews.com, “Video shows hoverboard going up in flames,” Brian Mastroianni, January 14, 2016.
