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The Facts About Hoverboards and UL Testing
THE FACTS ABOUT HOVERBOARDS AND UL TESTING7 X9 A1 {0 X; |% Q, _; x
Our public safety mission is at the forefront of everything we do, and it is important that information about our safety testing and certification remains transparent and factual. One of UL’s goals is to help provide peace of mind to consumers, retailers and manufacturers, and to work to make the products bought, sold and produced safer for use.0 V5 [: ?$ H9 c. N1 I3 K
WHAT IS CAUSING RECENT SAFETY INCIDENTS?Media reports state hoverboard fires may involve the lithium-ion battery and/or compatibility with the power supply. The Consumer Products Safety Commission ( CPSC) is investigating the root cause of these incidents and will share more information as it becomes available. Consumers should report any hoverboard incidents to the CPSC via www.SaferProducts.gov. * L5 c* y, f+ x( Z4 b
WHAT CAN I DO TO AVOID AN INCIDENT?A number of agencies, including UL, are dedicated to providing safety tips and advice for those who have purchased or been given this device. UL recommends: - Keeping the hoverboard away from flammable materials while charging.
- Do not overcharge the board. Follow the manufacturer’s recommend charging times.
- Do not charge the hoverboard overnight.
- Use only the charger that is packaged with the hoverboard.
- If an incident does occur, it may be incorrect to use a fire extinguisher due to the nature of battery chemical fires. Instead, leave the area and call 911.8 ?) h, n, w( } i% ]
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WHAT IS UL DOING ABOUT COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS?UL is committed to keeping potentially unsafe products away from consumers by supporting government and law enforcement agencies, like U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to seize products with counterfeit UL Marks and prosecute the criminals responsible.
: j0 m/ J' K, B+ o8 o QWHAT KIND OF BATTERY TESTS AND CERTIFICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CONDUCTED BY UL?UL’s work in helping assure the safe manufacture, handling and use of new technologies includes a variety of tests on the energy storage system (such as batteries in stationary/motiveand portable applications), power supply, materials and system itself. UL has the foremost battery experts and has been extensively studying lithium-ion technology. Effective February 2, 2016, UL is accepting self-balancing scooters/hoverboard products for testing to the newly developed requirements (UL 2272) for electrical and fire safety. For more information on UL’s product testing, please also visit our pages for consumer applications, commercial applications, power supplies and materials. It’s important to note that manufacturers voluntarily choose to submit these products for testing and certification as there is no mandate to do so. FACT 1To date, UL has yet to certify any hoverboard for safety. However, ULannounced February 2, 2016 that with the development of UL 2272 – Battery Systems for Use in Self Balancing Scooters, the company has developed initial requirements for mitigating fire and electric hazards for these products. UL is now ready to support retailers and manufacturers in testing hoverboards and their components for electrical & fire safety. In parallel, UL has begun the consensus process to gather industry manufacturers and interested stakeholder groups in order to further the requirements that cover self-balancing scooters and similar devices.% c; @) l+ y: O9 U+ U
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FACT 2UL certification of components (such as a battery pack or a power supply) in hoverboards is different from certification of the hoverboards themselves.' S/ u3 |! n9 t6 f# O
0 R7 S; o% T; E' z7 p* \; E4 kFACT 3For technology using batteries, including hoverboards, it is important to understand and evaluate safe interaction among components. The testing requirements for UL 2272 specifically evaluate the safety of the power supplies and of the battery packs used in context of the whole system.
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' `. Z6 e2 G I0 k5 x$ H0 TFACT 4The CPSC issued a letter to manufacturers, importers and retailers of hoverboards to urge them to make certain that the self-balancing scooters they “import, manufacture, distribute or sell in the United States comply with currently applicable voluntary safety standards, including all referenced standards and requirements contained in UL 2272 – Outline of Investigation for Electrical Systems for Self-balancing Scooters.”
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FREE WEBINAR ON NEW HOVERBOARD STANDARD (UL 2272)Overview of UL 2272 with the principal engineer who played a key role in the development of the new standard. You’ll learn about UL’s certification programs for self- balancing scooters, future plans for the UL 2272 standard development including reaching consensus on the standard’s requirements.
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