Tesla Reopens New York Factory to Produce Critical Ventilators
Elon Musk announces that Tesla's Buffalo gigafactory will reopen to manufacture ventilators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The automaker joins GM and Ford in pledging resources to address the severe shortage of life-saving medical equipment.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces that the company's Buffalo, New York gigafactory reopens to produce ventilators as soon as humanly possible. This decision comes in response to the critical shortage of medical equipment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which attacks the lungs and leaves patients relying on ventilators to breathe. Musk states that the company will do anything in its power to help the citizens of New York.
The timeline for the factory's conversion remains unclear, as the Buffalo plant primarily produces solar panels. It is also unknown whether this effort is part of a collaboration with Medtronic, whose CEO confirms a partnership with Tesla. Medtronic is open-sourcing a simpler, lower-end ventilator design that is easier to manufacture due to having fewer components.
Tesla joins several other major automakers in stepping up to address the medical supply crisis. General Motors is working with Ventec Life Systems to boost ventilator production, while Ford is collaborating with GE Healthcare to expand manufacturing capacity. These collective industry efforts aim to quickly increase the availability of ventilators in the United States, where only about 172,000 currently exist.