What happens when you have an energy problem and a room full of software developers and programmers ready to solve it? Host a Sustainability Hackathon; that's precisely what BMW did the end of April at the brand's Technology Office in Mountain View, CA.
Eighty experts gathered together to address the issue of EVs remaining at a charging station well beyond the few hours it takes to juice it up. This brings us to a specific problem: when another driver has an appointment to use only a few minutes to charge, but there is another car stationed for a long period of time, what is the other driver supposed to do in that situation?
The hopeful solution was to give the driver waiting for a charge a way to contact the other user anonymously asking if the car could be unplugged temporarily, use the little charge needed, and then plug it right back in when the present user is finished.
The challenge for the technology pros was to come up with an app that would allow this solution to take place. A total of 15 apps competed for first place, and an incentive of $3,000 (total) prize money was given to the most innovative apps. Here is a list of some of the winners:
- Best Overall Aps
- 1st HANON/EV Ping ($1,000 in vouchers for team)
- 2nd ChargeNow ($500 in vouchers)
- 3rd Chargist ($300 in vouchers)
There were other categories such as Best Business Model, Most Original Idea, Judges Wildcard Choice, and more. For a complete listing, visit the Hacker League page:
(https://www.hackerleague.org/hackathons/sustainability-hackathon-mv/wikipages/511eb98b9989c5b204000016)
Bert Smith BMW is impressed with the brand's initiative to bring great minds together to achieve more efficient ways of using green technology. For additional information about eco-friendly options, just stop by our Saint Peters, FL showroom to see our new BMW models and we'll tell you the latest about any of them.