Mullen Technologies, a company that’s aiming to soon start producing a high-performance electric car, has directed its engineering and manufacturing efforts into releasing an emergency ventilator for the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Mullen 8 ventilator, named for oxygen’s atomic number, is based on easily obtainable parts and will be mass-produced at the company’s Monrovia, California battery development center.
The firm touts the product’s high reliability at a relatively low cost of about $3,000 per unit. It runs using the firm’s advanced battery system that can power the unit for “dozens of hours” from one charge, and it can of course be powered continuously from a regular power socket. The unit can adjust the respiration rate anywhere between 6 and 12 breaths per minute.
“We are moving incredibly fast on this initiative and have a strong team working around the clock, targeting the end of April 2020 to have the first full set of production units ready by,” said David Michery, CEO and Chairman of Mullen Technologies, in a press release. “We’ve also been able to leverage our advanced engineering team in Europe and the U.S. to finalize the design and testing and expect to begin manufacturing in record time. Our executive team has been focused on the product strategy, including regulatory requirements, procurement and logistics. We’ve dedicated 40,000 square feet of our facility to produce this product and expect to have the line fully operational soon, with a production rate beginning at 5,000-10,000 units per week. These units will be available for delivery by the end of May 2020.”