Newtex Develops the HoverCover Fire Resistant Hoverboard Bag

Hoverboards and self-balancing scooters were some of the recent holiday season’s hottest selling toys, but they have received a wave of bad publicity after being blamed for dozens of house fires across the globe. The lithium-ion batteries used to power the devices can overheat and spontaneously combust in an event called thermal runaway. In response to this fire risk, Newtex Industries, Inc. developed the HoverCover™ Fire Resistant Hoverboard Bag, a bag designed to contain flames and explosions and to prevent fire from spreading. The HoverCover™ is intended to be used when charging or storing any hoverboard or scooter device powered by a lithium-ion battery.

The hoverboard came to market without proper testing because it falls in between categories. It is not considered a vehicle, and it is not considered a home electronic, so it is not held to transportation or consumer electronics requirements. Newtex is currently in discussions with UL to develop test methods specifically for hoverboard fire prevention and fire containment. 

Newtex is not new to the fire containment industry. The company has been manufacturing high temperature materials since 1978, and for the past decade Newtex has been involved in the development and testing of fire containment solutions designed specifically for lithium-ion battery fire containment.

The HoverCover™ is made with the same Z-Block™ fire resistant fabric used in Newtex’s fire containment bags for smart phone and laptop fires and in their FireCape™ fire containment pallet cover for aircraft cargo. Z-Block™ fabric has passed the following US & International testing standards: ASTM D6413 Vertical Flame Resistance, ASTM E-84 Surface Flame Spread & Smoke Density, ASTM F955 Molten Metal Splash, FAR 25 Appendix F Part III & IV Flame Penetration Resistance & Smoke Density, and BSS 7239 Toxicity of Products Combustion. The Newtex Laboratory has tested the HoverCover™ extensively under live fire conditions to confirm that it can withstand the extreme temperatures and flames produced by a hoverboard fire. 

It is always important to exercise caution when using devices powered by lithium-ion batteries, especially when the device is charging because that is when thermal runaway is most likely to occur. Newtex recommends charging your device in the HoverCover™ during daylight hours when an adult at home. The bag must be completely sealed and secured in order to prevent flames from existing. It is also important to find a charging station away from flammable materials and to carefully review and abide by the battery care instructions provided by the manufacturer. 

The HoverCover™ Fire Resistant Hoverboard Bag is now available in Army Green and Fire Engine Red through e-commerce retailers including Amazon.

Contact

Sarah Gulack, Marketing Manager

---

About Newtex

Newtex is a global leader in high temperature fabrics and engineered systems for thermal management and fire protection. Our products are manufactured at our world-class ISO certified facility in Rochester, New York and distributed globally to a range of Fortune 500 industrial companies and military customers. We are the only fully integrated provider of woven materials and fabric-based systems that protect from extreme heat and fire – from proprietary glass yarn processing, to in-house weaving, coating and laminating, to custom designed and sewn systems. Our integrated expertise, in tandem with our highly rated team of customer service professionals, ensures you get the right materials or system design for your unique high temperature application.