TESLA

Prototype of electric car catches the attention of Tesla
Developed at the Polytechnic School of Athens, this vehicle called Pyrforos has been awarded several times in recent years in Shell's eco-marathon ecological competition, which aims to find the vehicle that can travel as far as possible with the least possible energy.His reputation "has already allowed many Greek engineers to be hired in Palo Alto, California at Tesla's headquarters," the billionaire automaker Elon Musk, but also by other foreign manufacturers, welcomes Antonios Kladas, head of the laboratory of electric motors from Ecole Polytechnique.Tesla announced in late February that it will establish near Athens a research and development center for its engines. An investment of 750 thousand euros considered "important" for the country, which arises from a long period of recession."Tesla will hire about 40 Greek engineers who are currently working overseas, a very positive step towards reversing the brain drain that the country suffered during the crisis," said George Nounesis, director of Demokritos, the research center where Tesla will be established.

Pyrforos in detail

About 500,000 people, mostly young graduates between the ages of 20 and 40, have left the country since the start of the debt crisis in 2010 that brought the country's gross domestic product (GDP) about one-quarter .
But after growth of 1.4% in 2017, not far from the 2.3% of the euro area as a whole, and "with the reforms implemented, Greece will see growth of 2% on average over the next three years thanks to the return of the traditional economic model based on increasing consumption, exports and investments, "predicts Panayiotis Petrakis, professor of economics at the University of Athens.
Between 3 and 4 billion euros were invested in Greece in the last two years, "a record" of the last fifteen years.

Philip Morris International, which in 2003 bought Papastratos, one of the oldest Greek tobacco companies, invested € 300 million in the production of its new Iqos cigarette, heated tobacco.
"This investment is a vote of confidence in the Greek economy," said Christos Harpantidis, director of Papastratos. Two similar factories already exist in Italy and Romania.
However, experts remain cautious five months after Greece's exit from the protection of its creditors, the EU and the IMF and the return to debt markets after a long period of austerity marked by falling wages and pensions.
"The delays remain in the agricultural and industrial sectors, which should become more competitive and continue the reforms," said Panayiotis Petrakis.
The real estate market, which has great potential for Greece, favored by geographical and climatic conditions, is struggling to regain color due to bureaucratic problems.
The challenge for Greece, says Petrakis, is now the "stabilization", not only within but also outside, given its sensitive geopolitical position, between Europe, Turkey and the Middle East.

Lusa