I've recently re-powered my '18 RAD City (again). After replacing the original 750w direct drive motor with a direct drive 1500w, and becoming disenchanted with that motor for it's lack of hill climbing performance (coastal community with rolling hills), I installed a gear driven MAC motor with a special low speed wind (12t). This motor is all about low speed torque, which will, by design, sacrifice high speed performance (noticable at speeds over 20 mph).
One might think a torque monster like this, rated anywhere from 1000-1500w (depending on who you're talking to), would be a complete power (battery) hog (that's what I was expecting anyway). What I'm finding is that's just not the case at all. This last week (3rd week it's been installed, so still getting used to it) I've run a series of my typical short hops (3-8 miles) over a combination of packed dirt trails and pavement. I started with a fully charged battery, and this morning it finally dropped to 47 volts, which is about where I like to charge. All riding was done in PAS 1 (mostly) and 2, speeds 8 to 13mph (mostly floating around 10 mph). It included some clowning around with wide open bursts while climbing up short hills.
Total miles on the odometer were 33.5, which I feel is pretty incredible, as the 1500w direct drive was hard pressed to see 25 miles with the same usage.
So this gear driven MAC 12t not only has MUCH more punch, it's WAY more efficient! With the amount of torque on tap, especially in the hill climbing scenario, it's not hard to see how this motor got it's reputation.
Also noteworthy, I'm 315 lbs, so this is no story about a fly weight in the saddle....