Tesla offers extra ventilators free of cost but here's why India won't get any

At a time when the requirement for ventilators is surging in the fight against coronavirus, Tesla has extra ventilators and Elon Musk, the company's CEO, has promised to ship it free of cost to different countries and not even charge for the device itself.

Taking to Twitter, Musk announced that the extra ventilators have been approved by US' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal agency responsible for protecting public health. Musk, however, added that for the free devices to be shipped, the only requirement is that they be put to use immediately and not stored in warehouses. "We have extra FDA-approved ventilators. Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device & shipping cost are free," Musk had tweeted. "Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse. Please me or @Tesla know."

While these ventilators are now expected to be shipped to various parts of the world, India is unlikely to get any because Tesla has no presence in the country. There have been talks in the past about the makers of iconic electric cars entering the Indian market but these have only been speculations at best. Musk himself had explained in August why entering Indian shores is unlikely. "For other countries, we pay in part for the local factory by selling cars there ahead of time. Also, gives a sense of demand. Current rules in India prevent that, but recent changes in sales tax give hope for future changes," he had tweeted.

Tesla remains the global leader in electric car space even as conventional giants of the auto industry have begun shifting gears away from fossil fuels. The company has a cult following of sorts and recently opened its first plant outside of the US - in Shanghai. The coronavirus outbreak, however, has dented plans much like it has for almost every automaker across the globe. And much like several other automobile companies, Tesla too has joined in the fight against the disease by helping in the manufacture of essential medical equipment.