Tesla gives first look at ventilators to combat coronavirus

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company would support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic by manufacturing ventilators, and new reports state that he’ll be doing so with scrap car parts. 

In a YouTube video, Tesla engineers broke down how they are using Tesla car parts to construct ventilators for hospital patients. 

“We want to use parts that we know really well and that we know the reliability of…and that are available in volume,” engineer Joe Mardall explains in the video.

The ventilator is powered by Tesla Model 3 technology for optimized pressure control. 

Engineers on the team pan the camera over to show viewers the individual parts of the ventilator that will work to pump oxygen into patients’ lungs to “keep positive pressure on the lungs.” 

Using Tesla Model 3 vehicle controllers, there are three different ways to control the patient’s oxygen intake: pressure regulated volume control, pressure control and volume control for flexibility for different COVID-19 patients’ needs. 

The Tesla prototype comes with monitors that measure pressure, flow and volume of air. This is supposed to help doctors examine what is occurring with each individual patient. 

No updates were released on when the ventilators will be ready or how they will be distributed. “There’s still a lot of work to do,” the video concludes, “But, we’re giving it our best effort to make sure we can help some people out there.”

President Trump announced his approval in March for Tesla, along with Ford and General Motors, to revamp their production lines to manufacture scarce ventilators, which may ease market regulations. 

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