U.S. companies are retooling their operations in the fight against coronavirus, GM and Tesla offer to make ventilators

As nations grapple with coronavirus pandemic puts nations on wartime footing. From General Motors Co. to Tesla, many companies are now retooling their operations in their fight against the coronavirus. For example, the automaker giant General Motors Co. is retooling its operations to start making Ventilators.

Elon Musk joined GM in offering to manufacture hospital ventilators amid the coronavirus outbreak, an effort that would echo Detroit’s contribution to Allied powers during World War II. In a response to a tweet from a Tesla customer, Musk said late Wednesday his companies will make ventilators if there is a shortage, though he questioned in another post whether hospitals were running out of them.

We will make ventilators if there is a shortage

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 19, 2020

GM plans to use some of its excess factory space to build ventilators and has people looking into how that would be done, said the person, who asked not to be identified describing a private conversation.