To Vent or not to Vent?

Several automakers said last week they were looking into the feasibility of producing ventilators. GM said Friday that it is working with Ventec Life Systems to help increase the production of respiratory care products such as ventilators that are needed by a growing number of hospitals as the COVID-19 pandemics spread throughout the U.S. The partnership is part of StopTheSpread.org, a coordinated effort of private companies to respond to COVID-19, a disease caused by a coronavirus. Ford told TechCrunch in an email Sunday that it stands ready to help the administration, including the possibility of producing ventilators and other equipment. “We have had preliminary discussions with the U.S. and U.K. governments and looking into the feasibility,” the Ford spokesperson Rachel McCleery said. “It’s vital that we all pull together to help the country weather this crisis and come out the other side stronger than ever.” SpaceX  and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted Saturday that he had a discussion with Medtronic about ventilators. Medtronic later confirmed those talks in a tweet. He had previously tweeted that SpaceX and Tesla will work on ventilators, without providing specifics. Tesla could not be reached for comment.