Last week, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk offered to manufacture ventilators at one of Tesla’s factories – hinting at the one in California. He explained in a tweet:
Tesla makes cars with sophisticated [HVAC] systems. SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems. Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly.
Tesla makes cars with sophisticated hvac systems. SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems. Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly. Which hospitals have these shortages you speak of right now?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 19, 2020
Now, he announced that he is hoping to reopen the Gigafactory in Buffalo, New York for production of ventilators as soon as humanly possible. He tweeted on Wednesday, March 25th:
Giga New York will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible. We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York.
Giga New York will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible. We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2020
Musk then added in a separate tweet:
Making good progress. We will do whatever is needed to help in these difficult times.
Making good progress. We will do whatever is needed to help in these difficult times.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2020
Ventilators are one of the most important items in healthcare at the moment. COVID-19 patients suffering from severe symptoms need the device to help them breathe. The problem is, with the overwhelming surge of patients coming in that need them, there aren’t nearly enough to cope in regions hit hard by the pandemic, like New York City.
Seeing as it is still unclear when Musk will be able to reopen the Tesla factories, he purchased 1,250 ventilators from China this week and donated them to hospitals in the Los Angeles area. Even when he does open the New York Gigafactory, it will still take a while to convert a portion of the facility (currently used to produce solar panels) to make ventilators.
For now, donations of already made ventilators serve as some relief while the company figures out how to produce the critical piece of medical equipment needed to save lives. There is still no cure or proven treatment so the quicker they can get to making ventilators the better. Therefore, Tesla isn’t the only automaker who has pledged its factory. Other companies include Ford, GM, and FCA. They have all either promised to offer resources to make more ventilators or donate supplies.
