Hoverboards were very much in the news over the festive period, and not in a good way. Concerns about them not being electrically safe plus a number of fires caused by the products have seen them banned by some airlines.

Prior to Christmas, cnet.com reported that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) claimed there had been 12 incidents in the US where hoverboards had caught fire, destroying bedrooms and even entire homes. And it doesn’t seem to be just while charging that hoverboards are vulnerable, with some witnesses claiming to have seen them exploding while being ridden.

On 20 January The Telegraph online reported about a 13 year old boy dragging two younger children to safety when a hoverboard caught fire as it re-charged in a home in West Yorkshire – the living room of the house in Bradford was completely destroyed. On 26 January BBC News online reported that a family from Belfast had been left homeless after a similar hoverboard fire.

What’s causing it?

The problem it seems are the potentially combustible lithium ion batteries. It’s well known that these batteries can be volatile, but products filled with them have to endure a barrage of drop and crush tests as well as electrical stress tests before they’re passed as safe. However, there are claims of poorly made counterfeit batteries. Hoverboards are also new and ‘a product without a safety standard,’ according to the CPSC.

How to avoid the ‘hoverboard disaster’

Understandably, cost is a key issue when sourcing products, especially promotional gifts. But in the light of these incidents we can’t reiterate enough the importance of safety and compliance. You definitely don’t want your company and brand’s good image tarnished by your giveaways catching fire or blowing up.

Always check where products have been made and whether they have been safety tested, especially higher risk electrical or edible items or products for children.

Testing the batteries

Batteries need the following tests:

• altitude,
• thermal,
• vibration,
• external short circuit,
• crush, and
• overcharge.

Batteries are passed if there’s no leakage, disassembly, rupture or fire, and if the open circuit voltage of each battery after testing is not less than 90% of its voltage immediately before the test.

Arcadia have been sourcing promotional products for over 18 years and in that time have gained a wealth of knowledge of sourcing and importing product into the UK and across Europe. We have established long-term relationships with members of our global supply chain and will safeguard client reputations by ensuring our promotional products are ethically sourced and comply with all EU regulations. We can help you avoid the ‘hoverboard disaster’ – contact our sales team with your enquiry today at +44(0) 845 130 2620.

Make Memorable Merchandise

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Jason Markwick

Having worked in Promotional Merchandise for the last 25 years I have been exposed to all aspects of the industry. Starting out as an account manager working with some of the worlds leading brands, I have learnt to understand the needs of a client, manufacturing processes, and what it takes to deliver a successful promotional campaign that is on brand, on time and within a given budget.