Elon Musk has joined the fight against COVID-19, publishing a video of a ventilator built out of Tesla car parts.
The project is to help the medical industry, without needing to take away any of their other supplies. That’s why Tesla decided to develop a ventilator made primarily of just Model 3 car parts.
Naturally, the boffs at Tesla know a thing or two about their own car parts and what they can/can’t do, and drew up a schematic diagram for a Tesla ventilator quite quickly.
The video, published this week, shows just the prototype; the machine has since been upgraded to fit inside a portable box. The ventilator is controlled by a Model 3 LCD infotainment system, which can also show relevant respiratory information via touchscreen.
Tesla isn’t the only automaker to get involved in the coronavirus epidemic. Both GM and Ford are working to create ventilators and other devices, to help manage a worldwide lack of medical supplies.
While Tesla’s ventilator is still I developpment, the company says it expects to be able to bring its device to the frontlines rather quickly, ideally within the next month.
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