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CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

cpsc.gov

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Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#111

Post by easygenes »

mikestew wrote: post #78
easygenes wrote: post #21

It seems lax of CPSC to issue such a damning statement without an accompanying comparative analysis to other board or motor sports. What’s the injury rate vs other similar sports and how much of that is to blame from undereducated or reckless riders? Also, what’s the rationale for the recall if the issue is people ignoring the obvious warnings the thing is giving that the battery is about to die? This doesn’t seem to…

The device tips its nose forward and dumps its rider on their head. There is no need to compare to anything if a device has this behavior. If the battery runs out, I expect the device to come to a stop, not throw me on my ass. I'm pretty sure even a paramotoring rig that runs out of fuel isn't going to immediately hurt me, and those things fly .

Ever tried to brake too hard on a motorcycle? You can get them to slip out in all sorts of bad ways or just plain flip pretty easily without finesse and skill.

Certain sports just come with more risks. In some cases they’re niche enough with the right communities that they self police or fly under the radar and escape regulation. Others wind up with restrictions and licensing requirements.

In one wheel’s case it’s a very fast thing which requires an impeccable sense of balance and intense respect for it being something that can only keep you moving if it has power. Fangs (little wheels on the board edges) are an option for people that want more flexibility with it bottoming out, but they also lower your clearance so it’s a trade off and you’re still best off never letting the battery die.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#112

Post by rainsurf »

themagician wrote: post #98
rainsurf wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume you mean the board fully power off while riding? If yes, then no. It is possible to overload the motor by going over the maximum speed or going uphill by at too high of a speed but in that case the board will not actually power off. The only way the board may turn off is if is fully charged and you immediately ride it downhill (regenerative breaking). To protect the battery from overcharging the board it wil…

It's possible that the board just fails for any number of reasons. I had a Boosted Board fail on me once. No idea why. It just powered off randomly while I was riding. Wasn't going downhill, wasn't full battery, wasn't a depleted battery. It was a bit scary to suddenly feel the power go out, but I was able to safely come to a stop. I was probably going about 15 MPH. I never figured out what happened. It turned right…

Sure, anything can fail.

For these kind of "catastrophic failures" I think the important thing is the probability of the event.

I am not aware of evidence showing a Onewheel can fail at an unacceptable rate.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#113

Post by eagleinparadise »

0_____0 wrote: post #23

One issue I've noticed with these new forms of electric wheeled transport (longboard, transverse and longitudinal one-wheelers) is that the people riding them often don't come from a sports background. They aren't "safe" devices exactly - it takes skill to pilot them, and when things inevitably go awry, it takes good reflexes to avoid damage. Novices to action sports often throw their arms out to catch themselves whe…

My partner was hospitalized for nearly a week and had to have facial reconstructive surgery and nearly lost all her teeth after she got hit by someone on a scooter going 25mph while we were walking

Be careful out there if you combine speed + unprotected mode of transportation

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#114

Post by mcrady »

nomel wrote: post #95
advisedwang wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death? Or is it just rider error doing a dangerous activity? The article describes the scooter suddenly stopping operation and throwing riders off. It's not just scooting being dangerous generally, but a specific product flaw.

I don't think this is what's happening, at all. Here's a deep dive into what's actually happening, which is people ignoring built in safety, overpowering the motors ability to keep them upright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGn7iPN07XI The motor is at maximum power and speed when this happens.

I had a onewheel that would occasionally just stop. The first time I was going at 15 mph and fortunately came away with only a few scrapes.

I sent it in and they fixed it. This is their explanation which I don't know that I fully believe:

Our engineers completed the repairs on your board! They found that the power button had broken which led to damage to the controller circuit board. Both have been replaced under warranty for you. After your board passed our post-op testings it was picked up by FedEx!

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#115

Post by alana314 »

s17n wrote: post #12
alden5 wrote: post #3

onewheels suffer from a problem known as nosediving in which the board shuts off when it can't supply enough power to support the rider, as the board is self balancing this is a problem intrinsic to the board's form factor. The board works in a similar fashion to balancing something like an umbrella on your hand, as the rider leans forward it creates an imbalance that requires the board to accelerate in order to keep…

Pushback is extremely unintuitive, it should do pushforward instead.

Why? That would cause you to accelerate which would cause a nosedive.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#116

Post by MrStonedOne »

celestialcheese wrote: post #52

Reading this warning, I don't understand why now? Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death? Or is it just rider error doing a dangerous activity? Is the CPSC going to start warning against purchasing Rossignol skis or Santa Cruz mountain bikes because their respective activities are dangerous? Participation in action sports and high-speed transportation will result in a higher expected mortali…

No post body was provided.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#117

Post by chabons »

nomel wrote: post #95
advisedwang wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death? Or is it just rider error doing a dangerous activity? The article describes the scooter suddenly stopping operation and throwing riders off. It's not just scooting being dangerous generally, but a specific product flaw.

I don't think this is what's happening, at all. Here's a deep dive into what's actually happening, which is people ignoring built in safety, overpowering the motors ability to keep them upright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGn7iPN07XI The motor is at maximum power and speed when this happens.

This video is directly produced by Onewheel's marketing department. It does certainly highlight one way user error can lead to injury on a Onewheel, but I don't think this is a credible refutation of the idea that there may be a flaw in the product.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#118

Post by cwkoss »

themagician wrote: post #73
opwieurposiu wrote: post #53

One issue with the skateboard style of e-wheel is that your feet are perpendicular to the direction of motion. This means when the wheel quits or you hit a big bump you will have to turn 90deg before you can run. The unicycle style where your feet are parallel to the direction of travel is much easier to "run-out" if the motor quits. The unicycle style also allows a larger wheel and larger batteries. I think reason t…

Skateboarders train themselves to run out in this situation pretty much immediately. With OneWheel you never really "train" to fall, instead you try to avoid it. So if you don't come from a skateboarding background you have no muscle memory.

Skateboarders train themselves to run out early in their practice, in front of the garage when they hit a pebble at I imagine if your first skateboard fall was at 15+mph after a month of complacency, skateboards would be attributed to a whole lot more concussions.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#119

Post by ramesh31 »

0_____0 wrote: post #23

One issue I've noticed with these new forms of electric wheeled transport (longboard, transverse and longitudinal one-wheelers) is that the people riding them often don't come from a sports background. They aren't "safe" devices exactly - it takes skill to pilot them, and when things inevitably go awry, it takes good reflexes to avoid damage. Novices to action sports often throw their arms out to catch themselves whe…

Knowing how to fall is such an incredibly important life skill, it's baffling to watch people who never learned it.

As a ski instructor, you could instantly tell from their first fall the kids who would get it and stick with it from the ones who would be sitting in the lodge pouting after an hour.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#120

Post by enneff »

FpUser wrote: post #47
bombcar wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People assume a "bike" is safe, and a "motorbike" can be dangerous, but there's no real difference between them. I've reached 35 MPH downhill under pedal power; if I had wiped out I would have been in a world of hurt, or dead, depending on how it had gone.

>"People assume a "bike" is safe" Bike is not safe. And it is not even about being hit by the car. Cyclists often fall and often it results in broken bones etc.

If you look at cities where bikes are well integrated then they are way safer than cars.
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