BMW hosting Hackathon with AT&T and Tendril

Aimed at the intersection of electric vehicles, the connected home, and mobility, the Hackathon began yesterday and runs through the weekend.

The event, which began in New York yesterday and will run through tomorrow, is co-sponsored by Tendril, a consumer engagement and technology company, and AT&T and is hosted by BMW.

The hackathon is focusing on application development to pull together EVs, mobility services, sustainability and the connected smart home. Earlier this year, Tendril and BMW teamed for the Smart Home demonstration project in Mountain View, California. Bringing AT&T in as a partner means that the mobile aspects that are beginning to be a part of our everyday lives are also included. AT&T has an ongoin hackathon series for its own Developer Program to encourage app developers to create software for AT&T-based smart phones.

Phone and computer apps for providing customers with things like real-time energy consumption information, programmable charge times for their vehicle, for use on the road to connect cars with homes or waypoints, and any of a number of ideas for connecting home, car, and mobile device are being developed this weekend.

Hackathons typically last two to three days and often involve competitions wherein teams compete for prizes and awards, which can range from trophies to cash to seed money to continue their idea. Many of the apps you use on your smart phone, tablet, or PC are likely ideas that began at a hackathon somewhere. In this case, BMW, AT&T and Tendril are offering thousands of dollars in cash, gift cards, and services to the event's participants. One lucky winner (or team) will receive three months of incubation space at BMW's iVentures in New York City to further develop their idea.

The event's hackers are currently hard at work with awards to be issued tomorrow evening at the event's close.