Boosted Recalls Electric Skateboard Batteries

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Electric skateboard maker Boosted has issued a voluntary recall of all second-generation standard range battery packs.

On two separate occasions last year, customers reported smoke coming from the lithium-ion battery packs installed on their second-gen Dual+ boards.

Initially believed to be the result of a lithium cell leaking inside its casing, Boosted this week announced that the incidents were caused by a short-circuit in the battery electronics—"not from venting or other issues with the lithium battery cells."

"The short-circuit was caused by water entering the pack during riding due to quality control issues in two areas of the manufacturing process," a blog post said.

The California-based firm is working with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada on a voluntary recall of the battery packs.

"All second-generation board owners should participate in this recall, even if their board seems to be operating normally," Boosted said, promising to replace all current packs with an updated version "at no cost to you."

You'll need a 4mm hex wrench to remove the battery from your skateboard; don't forget to record the serial numbers on both board and pack before disposing of the battery at a recycling center.

Once you've submitted the online Battery Pack Replacement form and Boosted has verified the information, look for an email with the expected shipping date for a replacement.

"We will ship battery packs based on the date we verify your submission," the blog said. "So the sooner you complete the process, the sooner we will ship your replacement battery pack."

As an added bonus, anyone keeping their board "past the 30-day return window" will receive a $200 credit to spend on boostedboards.com as a "small way of saying thank you."

Boosted's second-gen boards began shipping in early September with a redesigned remote, two high-powered accessory ports, and higher torque output for faster speeds.

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It is unclear how many tained boards were released into the wild. During its investigation, the company temporarily halted shipments to new riders. Now, Boosted customers who paid for a board but haven't received one can expect delivery of the Dual+ starting Feb. 20, and the Dual model on March 20.

Those who cancelled an order and received a refund have until Jan. 27 to reorder and retain your spot in the queue. New bookings, meanwhile, will begin shipping in late March.

Fiery gadgets were all the rage in 2016. Early in the year, more than 500,000 so-called hoverboards sold by 10 different companies were recalled over fire risks, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. And, of course, Samsung was forced to yank its Galaxy Note 7 from the market after the phone's batteries kept exploding.

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