As the United States braces for what many think may be most critical weeks in the coronavirus crisis, many companies are temporarily pivoting their manufacturing capabilities to focus on the mass shortages of PPE and medical equipment. Most notably are car manufacturers that are using their expertise in hardware engineering and manufacturing to produce much-needed ventilators. Tesla is certainly no exception. To date, the company secured a surplus of 1,000 ventilators from China and delivered them to hospitals in California. The firm also purchased a large quantity of BiPAP (similar to CPAP) machines that can potentially be modified for use as a ventilator-type devices. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also been reportedly working closely with Medtronic to design ventilators and manufacture them in Tesla’s Gigafactories. While some have been skeptical about the controversial CEO’s efforts in building a Tesla ventilator, the company recently released a pretty detailed video showing real progress so far on a working prototype. Most notably, the ventilator utilizes many existing parts that are typically found in a Model 3, including its infotainment computer, HVAC components, and even its signature touchscreen. The design should hopefully help speed up manufacturing and reduce costs, allowing for rapid scalability. While the prototype isn’t yet production ready, it’s a resourceful design that seems feasible to manufacture, so we hope to see Tesla ventilators coming off the production line soon! Source
