- Nearly all US/Canada assembly lines are shut or shutting down operations.
- All three manufacturers have offered to aid in the efforts against COVID-19 by making ventilators.
- Carmakers elsewhere in the world are doing the same.
Automakers in North America are about to join in on the fight against the deadly and spreading coronavirus. With most of the assembly plants shut down, some of these establishments may be temporarily repurposed to make ventilators which are in short supply.
These ventilators, which deliver air to the lungs through a tube placed in the windpipe, can mean the difference between life and death. A shortage is very possible as they have occurred in other countries. In some situations, ventilators were shared amongst patients, which it not exactly ideal.
GM’s CEO, Mary Barra offered to help out by making ventilators which lead Tesla’s Elon Musk to do the same.
We will make ventilators if there is a shortage
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 19, 2020
Ford has also jumped in saying: As America’s largest producer of vehicles and top employer of autoworkers, Ford stands ready to help the administration in any way we can, including the possibility of producing ventilators and other equipment.
So far, no official request to act on these offers has been made by the government.
