Tesla will partner with medical equipment manufacturer Medtronic to begin producing ventilators at the automaker’s Fremont, Calif. factory.
Medtronic Chief Executive Omar Ishrak appeared Wednesday on CNBC and confirmed the two companies are combining efforts to build ventilators to meet the expected demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Tesla is one that I think people have heard about,” Ishrak said in the interview. “One of our ventilators will be made by them, and they’re fast on track to make that as well.”
Replying to a tweet with a clip of Ishrak’s interview, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said the company “will do whatever is needed to help in these difficult times.”
Musk also said that Tesla hopes to reopen its factory in Buffalo for ventilator production.
Tesla suspended production at the factory after Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an order Friday for all workers in nonessential businesses to stay home.
Musk also secured more than 1,200 ventilators from China that he donated to support medical facilities in California. Tesla also donated 50,000 N95 to help protect medical workers treating patients.
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