X

Hoverboard unboxing video ends in a fail of fire

The plague of hoverboard fires reaches a crescendo as an excited buyer's unboxing video goes south.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read
Hoverboard on fire
Enlarge Image
Hoverboard on fire

This hoverboard won't be hovering any time soon.

Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

In case you haven't heard, there seems to be a problem with some self-balancing scooters. The trendy gadgets, popularly known as hoverboards, involve two wheels and a platform for the rider to stand on. This seems like a benign mode of transportation, but there have been reports of the batteries inside catching fire, much like a "Spinal Tap" drummer.

YouTube user BuleBritish primarily posts about exploring Indonesia but also uploads the occasional product unboxing video. A hoverboard unboxing video published Wednesday takes a turn for the worse. "My first test on my new hoverboard did not go as planned,"
BuleBritish writes in the video description.

The video starts off typically enough with the hoverboard coming out of its packaging. "Looks pretty cool," BuleBritish notes, a comment that will prove to be untrue later. He charged the hoverboard overnight and then took it outside for a test run. He reports that he tried to tilt it forward to start moving, but the device seemed to be dead.

Things get interesting in the next part of the video. BuleBritish keeps trying to get the hoverboard to work and a little smoke starts to emerge near one of the wheels. Flames quickly spread across the gadget and the vlogger jumps into the air to get out of the way. He is left with a smoldering hoverboard.

While it would be possible to stage a hoverboard fire video, BuleBritish seems genuinely surprised and peeved by the incident with his new toy. The incident also matches with other videos of hoverboards catching fire, with the issue seeming to stem from the internal batteries.

The unboxing video now joins existing reports that include a hoverboard-caused house fire in Australia and at least a dozen hoverboard fire investigations in the US. While most unboxing videos are all about celebrating fun new products, this particular broadcast is all fired up with disappointment.

(Via Gizmodo)