Tesla on Sunday posted a video that shows how it's building ventilators for coronavirus patients, in which parts from its all-electric fleet are being used. Ventilators are one of the most important medical devices in the battle against the coronavirus, helping keep patients with critical COVID-19 infections alive.
The footage features Tesla employees in action, including Lars Moravy, the company's VP of Vehicle Engineering. Company Engineering Director Joe Mardall detailed how the company is developing its ventilators, which includes a design that uses Tesla car parts.
In the video, Mardall explains that the company's car parts could mitigate the shortage of ventilators given the fact auto parts are always available and produced in high-volume. In the US, Tesla's steady stream of EV parts could help solve this rarity. Several automakers, such as Ford and Lamborghini have also jumped in the bandwagon and are now manufacturing surgical masks and face shields.
Tesla's coronavirus ventilator prototype utilizes a hospital-grade air supply system, in which oxygen and air are combined into a mixing chamber to create breathable air. This breathable air is pressurized and is fed into tubes, which helps a patient breathe.
What makes its ventilator special though is the brilliant use of the Model 3 infotainment system. The dash screen is how medical professionals will be able to see oxygen concentration, respiratory rate, and tidal volume per breath.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global shortage of ventilators. Manufacturers of medical equipment have since increased production of ventilators, but scarcity is still being reported. To combat the shortage, automakers have resorted to building their own line breathing machines, one of them being Tesla.
Tesla made headlines last month when CEO Elon Musk announced that the company is in talks with Medtronic, a company that supplies medical equipment. The automaker's team of engineers found that parts from electric vehicles can be used and incorporated into ventilator designs.
Tesla is presumably focusing on building ventilators following news of vehicle production shut down. With the release of the video, it's clear that its new project is doing well so far.
It's not clear how long it will take before Tesla's ventilators make its way to hospitals and healthcare facilities, but Moravy says that they are still very early into production.
"There's still a lot of work to do but we're giving it our best effort to make sure we can help some people out there," Moravy said.
Watch Tesla peeps in action in the video below.
