--- title: "Elon Musk: NY Gigafactory Will Reopen to Produce Ventilators" description: "Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk is still hoping to reopen one of his electric car company's Gigafactories for ventilator production." date: "2020-03-26" modified: "2020-03-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-gigafactory-reopen-produce-ventilators" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" - "elon musk" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk: NY Gigafactory Will Reopen to Produce Ventilators ![Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk is still hoping to reopen one of his electric car company's Gigafactories for ventilator production.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## Hyperventilator After sourcing some [1,255 ventilators]() from Chinese manufacturers and [donating]() them to hospitals in the Los Angeles area, mercurial Tesla CEO Elon Musk is still hoping to reopen one of his electric car company's Gigafactories for ventilator production. "Giga New York will reopen for ventilator production as soon as humanly possible," Musk wrote in a [Wednesday tweet](), referring to Tesla's factory in Buffalo, New York. "We will do anything in our power to help the citizens of New York." "Making good progress," Musk added in a [separate tweet](). "We will do whatever is needed to help in these difficult times." ## A Severe Shortage Ventilators are critically important for healthcare right now. They are vital for COVID-19 patients who are experiencing severe symptoms. And according to *The New York Times*, there [aren't nearly enough ventilators]() to cope with an onslaught of cases in New York state. The news comes after Musk [pushed back against closing]() his company's Fremont factory in California well into the beginning of a now global shutdown, refusing to comply with the Bay Area’s "shelter in place" order. Last week, Musk first offered to make ventilators at one of Tesla's factories. "Tesla makes cars with sophisticated \[HVAC\] systems," Musk [explained]() in a tweet last week. "SpaceX makes spacecraft with life support systems. Ventilators are not difficult, but cannot be produced instantly." **READ MORE:**[ Tesla CEO Elon Musk: New York gigafactory will reopen for ventilator production]() \[*TechCrunch*\] ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()