Car manufacturers have answered government requests to begin producing ventilators and face masks in order to aid coronavirus efforts. On Monday, Fiat began to convert one of its car plants in China to begin producing roughly one million masks per month, stating that they are gearing up to start producing them in the coming weeks. Other major car firms such as General Motors, Ford, and Tesla have stated that they plan to use their factories to produce more ventilators. Nissan and Formula 1 teams in the UK have pledged similarly.
Major European, American and Asian car plants have halted their typical production, however, many will soon begin manufacturing ventilators and metal products to relieve the drastic lack of ventilators that countries like Italy are experiencing. These efforts were made possible by an FDA move that reduced barriers in the medical device approval process, subsequently speeding up the production of ventilators.
Read More: Coronavirus: Carmakers answer pleas to make medical supplies