Hoverboards gaining popularity amid concerns over safety

Hoverboards might be a somewhat new phenomenon, but they have quickly made an impact in the State College area and beyond, drawing both enthusiasm and concern.

Dylan Kim, a Penn State civil engineering major, owns one of the two-wheel, self-balancing electronic devices, which are designed to carry their standing rider at speeds of up to 10 mph and can go 10 to 15 miles on one charge.

A self-proclaimed gadget enthusiast, Kim was drawn to the idea of a hoverboard because of his fascination with new technology. He received one as a gift and has loved having it.

“I’ll ride it around my apartment, to go get water from the fridge or something,” he said. “Once I used it to take out the trash, but that was it.”

He said he’s never ridden his hoverboard to class but has seen other students traveling around campus on the device.

Across the country, hoverboards have developed a reputation as a possible fire hazard and a danger to their owners, as popular YouTube videos of falling riders and burning hoverboards have shown.

Penn State police advise students against riding the boards on campus but don’t prohibit them from doing so. They say that, when not being operated, the boards are allowed to be carried and stored indoors on campus.

They also advise riders to wear proper safety gear — helmets and padding — when using the devices. The policies match those for the use of Segways on campus.

State College police are treating hoverboards like skateboards and say they cannot be ridden in the streets or on sidewalks in front of downtown businesses. Hoverboards can, however, be used on residential sidewalks, but riders must yield to pedestrians.

Hoverboards’ fire worries stem from their lithium-ion batteries, which have been known to overheat and ignite. The Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement in December explaining it is researching why the batteries fail.

Recently, a young girl who received a hoverboard for Christmas in Santa Rosa, Calif., left the device charging while her family was out of the house. The batteries started a fire, leading to the death of two of the family’s dogs from smoke inhalation and a quarter of a million dollars in damage to the home, according to television station NBC Bay Area.

“As far as the fire thing goes, no, I don’t have a concern about it,” said Kim. “It only takes two hours to charge it so I make sure it’s out in the open and I can keep an eye on it.”

Kim said he’s garnered a lot of attention from friends when they visit his apartment and want to try out the hoverboard.

“There’s some marks obviously on it from running into things and other first-time users as well,” said Kim of his board. “Every time people come over they want to ride it.”

The cost of the device — many models range between $200 and $500, and some cost much more — has deterred some potential buyers.

Then there’s the issue of how quickly technology moves on to the next new thing.

“They’re starting to develop electronic scooters that can go up to 25 mph,” said Kim. “Technology just keeps moving faster than consumers can keep pace with sometimes.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Hoverboards gaining popularity amid concerns over safety."