Just like with pretty much every electronic device, you need to charge your hoverboard, too, before you mount them or take them on a ride.
The hoverboard has a battery pack that discharges the electric channel for powering the device to work. That means, enjoying your ride is equal to charging the battery.
For a little context, the hoverboard battery lasts for a maximum time of 2 to 6 hours after full charge (pretty long time, isn’t it?), and a full charge can take between 2 to 3 hours, depending on the inch or model of use. That can self-drive at about 15 miles per hour.
Bigger hoverboards take more time to get charged fully because of the battery type. There are many that signify, with a light flash, when the hoverboard battery is low and needs to charge.
Therefore, since hoverboards run on batteries, learning how to charge a hoverboard battery for effective use is imperative.
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On How Long Hoverboard Batteries Last…
While most average length of hoverboard batteries are between 2-4 hours, depending on the brand, some hoverboard batteries can last up to 6 hours.
If your journey and time of use invoke longer time of use and there is no window or time for recharge, you can have an extra battery pack for your hoverboard.
There are few factors that determine the longevity or otherwise of a hoverboard battery. They include:
- Ride’s speed: When a rider moves at a moderate speed, the battery charge lasts longer.
- Rider’s weight: A rider with a bigger or heavier body weight might potentially consume more battery life.
- Ride’s terrain: Where a rider moves the hoverboard around in affects the battery life. Rougher terrains, sticky plains, muddy or grassy areas, generally absorb more battery life compared to a plainer, smoother surface.
- Rider’s technique: This will vary from how the rider generally handles the hoverboard to the frequency of hoverboard’s starts and stops. The more efficiently the rider’s frequent sweeps of starts and stops, the less time it will take for the battery life to deplete.
However, factors would also include weather conditions and, notably, the capacity of the battery. Hoverboard batteries drain faster when the temperature is hot and that impacts how long it survives.
When charging, most especially, don’t expose the hoverboard batteries, not just to hot, but also extremely cold temperatures.
Charging any device generate heats and the same is true for hoverboard batteries. Such charge at an overtly fiercely heating temperature can fry the circuit board.
Just because it is cold doesn’t mean that it is impossible to have the same problems.
In other news, the battery with a larger capacity will charge longer and, therefore, last longer. But if the capacity is small, the same would be said of the battery’s life.
Guidelines To Charging Your Hoverboard
Understand that when you buy your hoverboard, it comes with a charging cable. It is an easy task to use the right charging cable for your hoverboard’s battery charging.
If it is towards having your first ride, make sure you charge the battery before hitting the floor.
How important is it to follow a step by step approach to all that has been said so far when you are set to charge your hoverboard? Here is a window:
1. Don’t get your devices twisted.
- Make sure you have the appropriate charger for the hoverboard you want to charge.
- Don’t redistribute usage in a way that makes the choice of charger’s voltage inaccurate for your hoverboard.
- Don’t use the voltage charger of a hoverboard that is not meant for the hoverboard. You risk destroying it.
- The best charger selection is the original one that came with the hoverboard.
- The same is true of substitutionary chargers like a laptop’s charger amongst others. Except in rare cases of emergency use, desist from using chargers like that for the hoverboard.
2. Keep your hoverboard charger plugged to the right power source.
- Make sure the power outlet is a good, safe fit for your charger and that the hoverboard’s light indicator is green. That signifies that you don’t have redundantly useless battery.
3. After that, ensure to plug in your charger port into the hoverboard.
- It is important that you can locate your charging port’s appropriate plug-in into your hoverboard. The indicator for your hoverboard will be showing a red light, showing that the hoverboard is charging.
4. When the hoverboard is at fully charged, it turns to green and that means that your hoverboard is fully charged.
- This means that the hoverboard gives you the charging update through light indicators.
- The color turns to green from a red light when the batteries are fully charged. When it is not so, it doesn’t give the light.
- At this point (when it turns green), you can unplug the charger; it is now battery-ready for your ride.
It is useful to note here that it is not the best to overcharge your battery. The hoverboard battery should not be treated like you would your quotidian, personal electronic devices.
When you see the light indicator saying the hoverboard is full, unplug the charger from the power pocket. To overcharge the battery is to reduce its lifespan.
Are Battery Life Causes of Hoverboard Explosions?
When the hoverboard innovation became a hot sensation around the world following its new release, there were cheap duplicates of the product with very low battery qualities, and because of that a lot of hoverboards were reported to be going ablaze while in use.
That led to a widespread panic about the safety of the hoverboard and how compromised the usage is with low-quality batteries. The general assumption is that the cheaper the hoverboard, the cheaper the battery, and therefore, the potential burn out of hoverboards after use for some period.
That is true and not entirely true at the same time. No doubt, hoverboards that come cheaply pose quite a significant risk. But that should not be used as a judgement to overlook expensive ones.
Clearly though, bad, low quality, inefficient batteries can make a hoverboard explode.
Important Tips
Beyond the battery charge, you might want to attention to the following as you manage your hoverboard and the battery situations:
1. Don’t stress the battery threshold farther than it can take by incessant charging. If it doesn’t charge well or properly, just change it.
2. Perhaps unclear from the earlier mentions, when your hoverboard is charging, the light indicator shows red — though some newer models show blue. When it is fully charged, it turns to a green light. Also be clear that green light indicator can show for when the battery is dead.
3. You can find out if your battery is bad during charge.
- Take note of the charger box if it still has the green light indicator on while charging and you get an orange indicator when you turn on the hoverboard.
- Just keep the charger connected for another ten minutes and remove it after ten minutes while the hoverboard is on.
- If the hoverboard goes off after that, the battery is bad. Do no longer charge or overcharge, just replace the battery.
4. If you are not a smooth rider, swerving to rough terrains and long, winding patches, you put your hoverboard in a position to consume lots of energy. But a moderate speed movement at every smooth ride makes it easier to charge the batteries and even last longer.
5. Don’t underestimate the value of buying the right hoverboard so you can enjoy the best battery life.
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- Make sure you are buying directly from the hoverboard manufacturer and bypass third-party links and do your research more on the value of hoverboard made in the US as opposed to the ones coming in from China.
- Also, don’t mistake significant difference in prices as indication for what is quality or not. A $1,200 hoverboard can be just as bad as a $400.
6. Don’t charge your hoverboard battery overnight.
- Do not treat like you would your smartphone or devices, especially for the first charge immediately after purchase.
- Most hoverboard batteries easily get fully charged between 2 to 4 hours. So, yes, you’re charging for quite a long time, but make sure not to charge longer than required.
7. Don’t text, talk, or chat while riding and ensure your ride is mostly, if not always, done in the light.
- Avoid areas that are dim or dark where you are likely to ride against bumps, wet surfaces or other dangerous debris that could hurt or give you injuries.
8. No doubt, there have been transitions from initial indoor hoverboards to fanciful ones constantly used outdoors. Notwithstanding, taking necessary safety precautions is a great leap and way to go to ensure safe use.
- More than anything else, keep a fire extinguisher close to you indoors in case of accidents from use or charging.
Conclusion
Hoverboard batteries are a big deal, the same way your phones’ or laptops’ batteries are. They are the power propellant for hoverboards and for their remote abilities to move around at all.
However, they must not be treated the same way you will your phones or laptops. They are different devices with different battery lives and use.
Refer to the guidelines for charging always and ensure to keep the manufacturer’s manual not too far away from you.
Anyway, what would we start calling the hoverboards when we really get boards that can really hover? Maybe it is good to end on a thinking note!
