Is this the end of hoverboards forever? There is one hope

Hoverboards are dead. But there is one hope for their survival. I'm Bridget Carey. This is your CNET Update. [MUSIC] The hoverboard Was the hottest holiday gift in 2015, until it became the hottest holiday gift for catching fire. You've seen the youtube videos, and reports of these self-balancing scooters combusting. Sometimes the fire breaks out when it's just sitting in a room charging. There was no safety standard for this sort of product. And many cheap knockoffs started flooding the market adding to the concerns. Last week, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission sent out a letter Deeming all hoverboards unsafe for posing an unreasonable risk of fire. The federal regulatory agency receive reports of 52 hoverboard fires since December. And advised retailers to only sell models that meet the safety standards By Underwriter's Laboratories, most commonly known as UL. You've likely seen the UL certification logos on many electronics you purchase. So now major retailers, including Amazon, Toys R Us, Target, and Walmart Have pulled Hoverboards. And Amazon is offering refunds. Several major airlines already banned the devices, and in New York City there are now signs up telling riders that Hoverboards are banned from public transit. The folks at UL started testing these things this month, and Cnet got a behind the scenes look at the independent labs where they're being Salmon, and are not testing how easy it is to ride. This is about the safety of the battery and the charger and overall electrical system inside. Lithium ion batteries can dish out some serious damage when they explode. There are various stress tests and torture tests, including holding the wheel in a vice for seven hours to see if it overheats. No hoverboard has been certified safe yet, but when one does Will any retailer be okay with selling it again, when there's such a bad reputation now? And when you see signs all over public transit and airlines are banning it. I doubt authorities are gonna be keeping up to speed on which models are deemed safe by UL to just allow one or two. Hover boards could be doomed unless they can escape the bad image by evolving into a new type of product. Maybe that won't actually be until they hover. What do you think about the hove board issue, do you have one yours till ride, or will you try Right, if there's a model deemed safe by UL. Reach out by e-mailing update@cnet.com or you can find me on Twitter. From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey. [MUSIC]