KOKOMO, IN (AP)-- The federal government will buy 30,000 ventilators from General Motors by the end of August for $489.4 million.
GM says it will cover its costs but won’t make a profit on the devices, which will cost the Department of Health and Human Services just over $16,300 each. HHS says in a statement that the ventilators will be distributed to where they are needed most to treat coronavirus patients.
GM will start by delivering 6,132 ventilators by June 1.
On March 18, GM began working with Seattle-area ventilator maker Ventec Life Systems to increase the company’s production. The automaker is retooling an electronics factory in Kokomo, Indiana, to build the devices.
