Valuewalk reports that a brief overview of public documents shows that there are more than 10 reports of hoverboard fires spanning nine states in the past few months alone. Taking this a step further the online retailer has started to remove some hoverboards that apparently do not meet these standards and there may be more to come.
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No word on how exactly this will be measured or by who within the company.
Amid reports of safety concerns regarding some cases of hoverboards catching fire and exploding, giant Internet-based retailer Amazon is not slacking off on the issue and chose to make some stringent safety measures.
In Alabama, Timothy Cade’s hoverboard burst into flames three days after he bought it on Amazon.
Reports claim that the quality of the battery installed on these hoverboards is the main culprit that causes sudden combustions, especially the ones used on low-quality and cheap scooters.
Concerns over the quality of the battery and the charger are reasonable considering incidents of fire have been reported when hoverboards were being recharged.
“We consider this a priority investigation”, Patty Davis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, told CNNMoney on Monday.
The boards appear to be literally and metaphorically hot right now, being one of the most sought after holiday gifts. Beware using a hoverboard in New York City, as the NYPD stated in November that if anyone is caught using one on the streets of New York City, he or she can be fined $250.
FitTurbo, the hoverboard that burned down a Louisiana home in November is no longer available on the website. As of this writing, a search brought up Hoverboards by Jetson, Razor, Hover X and Sharper Image, but it’s a limited selection. Overstock.com announced that the site has already pulled hoverboards. Let us know in the comments.
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The consumer electronics company, based in South Bend, Ind., said in a statement on Monday that Amazon requested it and other hoverboard makers and marketers to provide “documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including United Nations 38.3 (battery), UL 1642 (battery), and UL 60950-1 (charger)'”.
