Elon Musk, executive of Tesla electric vehicle company – Yichuan Cao / Sipa USA / SIPA
Elon Musk announced on Wednesday his plans to reopen the Tesla plant in Buffalo, New York, to make respirators there for Covid-19 patients, reports Reuters. On Twitter, the businessman said that production would start “as soon as it is humanly possible” in the Gigafactory. “We will do whatever is necessary to help in these difficult times,” he said.
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
To be able to supply the respirators so important in the treatment of patients seriously infected with the coronavirus, Tesla works with the company Medtronic. The CEO of this medical equipment company told CNBC that he was also working with the automaker to start production of the devices as quickly as possible at the Tesla plant in Fremont, California.
Tesla bought Chinese equipment
In the United States as elsewhere, respirators are lacking to cope with the influx into hospitals of patients in respiratory distress. Elon Musk said on Tuesday that the company had purchased hospital respirators in China and had them shipped to the country.
Aerospace and automotive manufacturers around the world are now claiming to be able to produce these machines. Jaguar, Toyota, Rolls Royce, General Motors and even Ford came forward to offer their help.
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