After Mashable reported on Saturday that Swagway advised its customers to take a break from hoverboarding, the company now says that direction was the result of a "miscommunication" and its products are safe to use. "Due to an apparent miscommunication, there have been inaccurate reports about Swagway's position related to the CPSC's recent declaration. To be clear, we did not announce any official position related to this," the company said in a statement today. "We stand by our products and are confident that Swagway still remains the safest on the market."
Swagway says it's actively working with the US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to ensure its hoverboards meet newly released safety certification standards. The CPSC issued the new standards last week and said any unlicensed hoverboard manufacturers would face civil and criminal penalties if caught selling the devices without approval. The government issued the letter — sent to manufacturers, importers, and sellers on Friday — after receiving 52 reports of hoverboard-related fires causing more than $2 million in property damage across 24 states.
"Swagway still remains the safest on the market."
Swagway's Swagtron and X1 hoverboards already meet the new required certification, called UN38.3, as required by the United Nations and US Department of Transportation. However, it's uncertain whether the company's products meet the second safety requirement, a voluntary certification called UL2272 and introduced late last month by the independent third-party product-review firm Underwriters Laboratory. Swagway says it's currently checking to see if it complies with the newer certification.