Tesla CEO Musk Takes on 'Vaccine Printer' Challenge This Time

▲Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla [Image source=AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who achieved the first private manned spacecraft launch and became the global automotive industry leader by market capitalization, is now challenging a new field: developing a printer for vaccine manufacturing.

On the 2nd (local time), Musk CEO announced on his Twitter, "We are developing a mobile molecular printer for the production of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine being developed by CureVac in Germany." He added, "This process will be built at Tesla Gromann located in Germany." Tesla Gromann is an automated design technology company.

The mobile molecular printer that Tesla announced it will develop in partnership with CureVac plays a role in mass-producing not only the COVID-19 vaccine but also mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid)-based therapeutics according to the raw material formulation order input into the machine.

mRNA is a technology owned by CureVac and is known to be cost-effective for vaccine production. When combined with Tesla's automation technology, it is expected to enable mass production of vaccines at low cost, potentially curbing the early spread of infectious diseases. For this reason, CureVac's competitors in the bio industry, such as BioNTech, Pfizer, and Moderna, are also eager to secure this technology.

It is reported that if approval is obtained from German regulatory authorities in the future, a site capable of producing hundreds of millions of doses within Germany will also be secured. The industry is expressing expectations that Tesla might be entering the bio sector as well. Until now, Tesla started as an electric vehicle manufacturer but has expanded its business areas to related fields such as battery production technology, autonomous driving, electric trucks, and even launched the first private manned spacecraft.

Business Insider reported, "There is debate over whether Tesla is a technology company or an automobile manufacturer, but the answer is neither," and described Tesla as "the General Electric (GE) of the 21st century." There are also forecasts that Tesla will expand its business fields beyond electric vehicles, energy, autonomous driving, and solar power to healthcare, robotics, and other sectors.