Seamless PAS and hill-climbing ability are two different things (though one can have both).
One is just "feeling good", another one helps you to get where you want.
Hub with a cadence (as opposed to hub with torque) affects performance and range, this is one of trade-offs, though doesn't quite answer the initial question of hub vs mid-drive.
Now, the hubs mentioned:
Sondors have cheap Bafang.
Pedego uses Dapu, initially hubs only, now they also use mids by Dapu.
Sorry, but hubs in Surface 604 and Magnum are not any better because they are again Bafang.
BH might be a better bike but their hub is again Dapu.
I agree that a hub with torque is a better value than hub with cadence.
At the risk of looking like a guy who constantly gets into confrontational mode... I will lay out my thoughts.
One problem I see is, people read too much online and have less saddle time before coming to conclusions.
Dapu motor is an excellent motor! I had put ~7000 miles on Dapu motors (BH Neo Jumper and Nitro City). They never failed on me. Agreed, I don't have San Francisco like hills. Most people don't live near SF like hills.
My Stromer ST2 can climb most grades better than my Haibike. So people making blanket statements like hub motors can't climb simply haven't spent enough time on E-bikes.
@Mr. Coffee
The problem with cadence sensor is it's very much limited by the power in each assist mode (like discrete steps) and doesn't have dynamic response.
A good torque sensor can command 150% of the peak power from the controller for short bursts and provide a very seamless and amplified power delivery. That kind of dynamic response is absent in cadence sensors. If you know how to use gears properly, a 48V, 500W geared motor with a torque sensor would be sufficient for 95% of the uses.
On the contrary, the Bosch Speed motor I use (Haibike) will climb better only if I am starting up a steep hill from dead start without any momentum. If you have some momentum, mst geared hubs will do fine. So, why are Bosch, Shimano, Brose popular in EU?
In EU, the legislation is lot more heavy handed (15mph 250W limit) and its strictly enforced, and the only way people can climb hills would be to use a mid-drive. When you get your Charger GX, you will see, it's a very refined piece of machinery that can climb hills but at the expense of speed. That is the very nature of most mid-drives. They lack some oomph needed for sustaining higher speeds. If you push the wattage of a mid-drive too high, then we run into drivetrain issues.
Again, mid-drives can be a great way to enjoy true mountain biking and even casual riding in the city.
The gearless motors used in Tesla are the size of a watermelon and produces enormous torque and speeds like 200 mph. For an E-bike, we are only talking about 20-30mph, and these numbers are easy peasy for any geared motor that can be hidden in the rear hub.
I may seem like an opinionated prick but I will stand by my thoughts until my own experience proves me wrong. My experience on E-bikes with over 24,000 miles have not made me pick sides.
Overall, I enjoy both drive systems. For a large part of the biking demography, a well built geared hub will provide a good riding experience and still keeping the price point affordable.
. I've been thinking about bike shops and online retail - it may be that bike shops become more like car mechanics and less like dealerships - a place you pay for service and parts, with some knicknacks on the walls, and less a place that you buy new vehicles. If ebiking continues to flourish, the trend could start to reverse, at least in areas where biking and ebiking is safe and convenient. If everyone got a free bicycle, they'd still spend money at bike shops on accessories and repairs.
