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Even awesome, thoughtful Boosted boards catch on fire now and then. I think even with the beginning of honest alternative transport devices pushing technology

by dh997 11y ago

Even awesome, thoughtful Boosted boards catch on fire now and then. I think even with the beginning of honest alternative transport devices pushing technology to break new ground inevitably results in some teething issues that will get fixed as engineering and safety standards evolve with the benefit of hindsight. The sentiment of condemning an entire catagory of products for cheap knockoffs and slow-moving regulators is wrongheaded and dumb. (If there were blanket bans for use, as opposed to sale, I wouldnt be suprised to see mobility device exceptions... But so far the much hooplahed NYC hoverboard ban never materialized on the street level.)

Animats 11y ago
"Boosted" brand powered skateboards use lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which are inherently safer than ordinary lithium-ion batteries. The LiFePO4 chemistry doesn't have the thermal runaway problem. That was a good decision. They give up some range, but don't have fires. Thermal runaway in LiCoO2 cells is the cause of most battery fires. Overcharging or cell overheating starts a chemical reaction that raises the temperature, which accelerates the reaction further. This continues until the battery catches fire or explodes. In battery packs, this can cascade, with one cell forcing adjacent cells into thermal runaway. There are other safer battery technologies. The A123 Systems cells[1] don't have the thermal runaway problem and are supposedly resistant to fires due to physical damage. They pass the "nail test", where a nail is driven through the battery. Price is about 2x low-end cells from China. A hoverboard powered with those should not catch fire. A problem with "Boosted" skateboards is that they can easily be taken over via the Bluetooth link.[2] Worse, they support over the air firmware updates. Unsigned over the air updates. There's an exploit for this, called FacePlant. [1] http://www.a123systems.com/lifepo4-battery-cell.htm http://www.a123systems.com/lifepo4-battery-cell.htm [2] http://www.wired.com/2015/08/hackers-can-seize-control-of-electric-skateboards-and-toss-riders-boosted-revo/ http://www.wired.com/2015/08/hackers-can-seize-control-of-el...

by dh997 11y ago

Animats 11y ago

"Boosted" brand powered skateboards use lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which are inherently safer than ordinary lithium-ion batteries. The LiFePO4 chemistry doesn't have the thermal runaway problem. That was a good decision. They give up some range, but don't have fires. Thermal runaway in LiCoO2 cells is the cause of most battery fires. Overcharging or cell overheating starts a chemical reaction that raises the temperature, which accelerates the reaction further. This continues until the battery catches fire or explodes. In battery packs, this can cascade, with one cell forcing adjacent cells into thermal runaway. There are other safer battery technologies. The A123 Systems cells[1] don't have the thermal runaway problem and are supposedly resistant to fires due to physical damage. They pass the "nail test", where a nail is driven through the battery. Price is about 2x low-end cells from China. A hoverboard powered with those should not catch fire. A problem with "Boosted" skateboards is that they can easily be taken over via the Bluetooth link.[2] Worse, they support over the air firmware updates. Unsigned over the air updates. There's an exploit for this, called FacePlant. [1] http://www.a123systems.com/lifepo4-battery-cell.htm http://www.a123systems.com/lifepo4-battery-cell.htm [2] http://www.wired.com/2015/08/hackers-can-seize-control-of-electric-skateboards-and-toss-riders-boosted-revo/ http://www.wired.com/2015/08/hackers-can-seize-control-of-el...