Tip
Public fast-charging experiences and parking tips for Pebble
3 months ago
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We compelled Ionna to charge Pebble.
Looks like they have special prices for the holiday weekend; .20¢ per kWh.
Gallup, NM
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Successfully charged Pebble at Electrify America on a trip back from California to Seattle. The easiest way to put Pebble at the charger spot was using iPad maneuvering. I was able to charge Pebble, Tesla, and Rivian, all 3 at one spot.
Where did you charge all three of them at one spot? We just came back from Gold Beach, Oregon, and charged at the Electrify America in Crescent City both on the way up and back.
It was really fiddly: we’d get the Silverado charging and plug in the Pebble, then the Silverado would stop charging. Back and forth. It seemed like Electrify America didn't like that we had two sessions going at once. Then it rejected our credit card because we had two sessions going at once. What a mess!
When we finally got them both charging, the EA screen charging the Pebble would say it was at 80%, but that was the truck’s SOC. Then it would say 48%, which was the Pebble’s SOC, and keep going back and forth. Weird.
That’s exactly what’s happening to us. The charger recognizes the truck’s or Pebble’s SOC and thinks 37% is acceptable. Since you can’t tell Pebble to “charge to 100%,” the charger thinks it’s at its desired SOC and shuts down.
I suggest maneuvering through the iPad app as soon as you reach the charger: quickly detach, let the Rivian go charge, then maneuver Pebble. Much easier than using the tow vehicle to park in a spot at 90 degrees.
The iPad Motion tab is so useful. I never towed a vehicle before, but towing Pebble and parking is so easy.
I used EA once for the Pebble, activated via the EA app, which I had established before Rivian plug and charge. Worked fine.
That was my only use of a public charger in 5,414 miles. Campgrounds work for me, even interspersed with days of dry camping on long trips like this one.
Parked all 3 next to each other; lots of people came and asked about Pebble today.
I got one with the Magic Pack package and did not think I would get one. Hopefully you get one. I did buy one just in case before pickup, but I can use it to plug into the trailer and charge my truck.
Our mobile tech told us that Tesla approves once a quarter. So hopefully soon!
Also tried a Tesla Supercharger with a Rivian CCS adapter. Got an error for now. Wish they enable it soon.
We’ve never used Electrify America. How do you connect Pebble? Do you have to have a separate account? We have an account through our myChevrolet app at the moment.
To use EA, you either use the app or tap a credit card. But warning: there are a couple of EA chargers that won’t work with Pebble.
So, like the Tesla and Ionna networks: some do, some don’t.
For a while, none of the Ionna chargers worked because they all use Alpitronic 400 chargers. I had Alpitronic 400 chargers fail to charge Pebble at both BP Pulse and an EVgo site. But another owner said they were able to charge at Ionna, so maybe the Ionna problem is sorted. Hopefully all Alpitronic 400s will work now.
Tesla is different. No non-Teslas can use Version 2 Superchargers; the hardware is not compatible with CCS. Version 3 and up Superchargers are available to non-Tesla brands that have been granted permission. As far as I know, Pebble does not yet have access to the Tesla Supercharger network. However, there are Tesla Magic Dock sites where you can pull a CCS adapter out of the charger. Those Tesla sites should work with Pebble or any non-Tesla, though I have found very few Magic Dock sites.
Is there a way to proactively search which Tesla charging locations have Magic Docks?
You can set up a car in the Tesla app that does not have native access and it will only show Magic Dock chargers. I use supercharge.info to filter for certain sites. PlugShare has a Tesla CCS charger map here:
Most helpful. Thank you!
That info might be on PlugShare, and I think if you use the Tesla app and set up your vehicle, it will only show compatible chargers. That works for cars and trucks; not sure if they have Pebble in there yet.
If you’re heading through Alberta, embrace Superchargers and have your CCS adapter handy. Haven’t yet seen a Magic Dock.
We may take a different route through Canada and haven’t decided how we’ll return.
Can’t recall: did Pebble give us a CCS adapter, or do we need to purchase one?
I did not receive a CCS adapter with Founders Edition, but I have the one supplied with my Rivian. No good with Superchargers yet, though.
Tight reach in Swift Current, SK.
Great news! We love Ionna and are heading across country next month and really wanted to use Ionna!
Yes, I charged at Electrify America all 3 in one go: Tesla, R1S, Pebble.
Did it twice today in Beaverton, Oregon too, very close to my home destination in Seattle.
We’re charging as much as possible at campgrounds, but when a trip between campgrounds extends the range limit, we end up towing Pebble when it’s at critical battery because we can’t charge at any DC network.
We’re leaving New Mexico tomorrow for Texas. The Texas state parks are close enough to each other that we won’t need to DC charge along the route.
What fast chargers have you tried? I think there are more that work than don't work. I am trying to compile a list of ones that work and don't work, so your data would be helpful. See the “Fast Charging” thread under energy for the information I’m looking for.
The Ionna in Gallup does not work. We’ve tried two separate times with a couple of weeks in between.
Tried a few Tesla chargers in Barstow and the Tesla oasis in Lost Hills, California. I’ll update as we get new info.
I am not sure if Pebble gave us an adapter. We have used our GM adapter successfully with Pebble. I don't think we got an adapter because it has been a problem—or maybe we forgot that we had it.
We found two Rivian Adventure Networks on our recent trip that were all NACS. So we couldn't charge both truck and trailer at the same time, as we thought we only had one adapter.
I love the creative parking! We had to wedge in at an EA in a tight Walmart parking lot. A couple people complained, and I nicely said, “Well, if they'd start building chargers like gas stations, this wouldn't happen!”
It should be noted that Pebble has said they are working on gaining Tesla Supercharger access. I wonder how that is going? I think it is a complicated process. We are all hungry for updates. I'd love more communication.
staff
We hear you all, but we can’t provide any update quite yet. Rest assured it’s something that we care deeply about enabling for everybody.
Appreciate the feedback here!
Spoke to Pebble staff about that today. No update.
In case any of you are ever driving up the 395 toward Mammoth or the Sierras, I recently charged at the Rivian Adventure Network in Inyokern, California, and it was the perfect setup for Pebble. I was able to pull up along the backside of the chargers and plug both the tow vehicle and Pebble in at the same time using two chargers without blocking any spaces. Arrived with about 30% on the Rivian and 50% on Pebble, and left after about 30 minutes with both nearly full. It is pretty easy to unhitch and remotely move the trailer into another spot, but situations like this are ideal.