I had to replace my key fob battery after just ten months. Figuring that this will thus be a regular thing, I ordered a pack of FIFTEEN of these suckers for just $7 and put them in my glove compartment. Here's the Amazon link: http://goo.gl/mL2QFM
I'm hoping my next car is the BUDD-e, but since my e-Golf lease runs out in June, 2018, I don't think they'll make it.
http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/auto/volkswagen-budd-e/
Simultaneous to leasing my eGolf I installed 5kW of solar panels on my roof -- enough to power the house and the car.
Then I went out and bought a custom license plate frame that says: e-Rabbit / Powered by the Sun.
I've got an SEL and done no measurements at all, but my experience this winter, during cold Bay Area days and nights, is that if I turn the heater on with a full charge my estimated range drops from about 73 miles to about 45 or 50 miles.
That's a pretty big drop right there, and so on cold...
It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the 1st generation leased cars when the leases expire in two years. There might either be some deep discounting or, if it's as easy to swap the battery packs out as they say it is, maybe some battery upgrades to sweeten the purchase...
The news releases left me wondering whether, once the new battery packs are available, I could get VW to upgrade my current car under warranty. It might be VEDDY convenient to experience diminished power from the battery just before the lease expires, then replace the batteries and buy the car...