Cozy up (safely) to an e-scooter’s lithium battery yule log
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is well known for getting its message out on social media. A seven-minute montage of models succumbing to injuries from a Fourth of July fireworks display may be an unconventional way to warn of the dangers of recreational explosives, but try to forget these images when you light your next bottle rocket. In similar pyrotechnic fashion, the CPSC warns everyone to be especially careful around the holidays when dealing with all kinds of seasonally appropriate combustible objects.
On December 22, the commission illustrated how some gifts are much more flammable than others with its 30-minute video on the Escooter lithium-ion battery Yule log. These rechargeable energy sources are becoming more common, but their underlying internal chemical reactions also produce flammable gases that can easily burn for hours. They also require a lot more water to extinguish. A single electric car fire can require more than 30,000 gallons to put out, but even smaller vehicles like electric scooters and hoverboards can be dangerous.
Lithium-ion battery escooter Christmas log fire for your home – Fuego con baterĂa de ions para tu casa
“If you purchase an electric bicycle, electric scooter, or hoverboard this holiday season, be sure to purchase it from a retailer you know and trust. Also, be sure to charge your battery safely,” the CPSC explained in its message. “Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging your battery. Never charge your batteries overnight, [and] use only approved replacement batteries.
But fire risks don’t just apply to gifts placed under the tree. In some cases, the tree itself poses a hazard. The difference between how flames spread in a dry holiday centerpiece and a well-watered one is clear in the CPSC’s side-by-side comparison video released Dec. 20. A Christmas tree becomes a veritable powder keg once dry, igniting in seconds. Although still a hazard, a watered tree takes much longer to smolder before igniting.
This is all potentially vital information to keep in mind — details that the CPSC manages to distill into a simple, easy-to-remember metaphor: You wouldn’t give your kids an enchanted scorpion, so don’t give them complicated and potentially dangerous gifts.
Okay, maybe that’s not exactly a “simple” metaphor. But like the Fourth of July PSA, it’s one that definitely sticks out to you.
PopSci Outdoor Gift Guide 2025
