Thanks to frame-integrated batteries and shrinking motors, ebikes have come a very long way in the past few years in terms of simpler, sleeker looks more in line with traditional pedal bicycles. Still, while they're not as immediately recognizable as they once were, ebikes are often designed to…
250W is quite standard for pedal-assisted bicycles, no? It’s also to keep in line with regulations, I think many countries have settled at 250W as the maximum.
I had a budget 500w hub and switch to a more expensive 250w mid and don’t regret it at all. My old bike was cadence sensing and did all the work for me. It was fun to zip around but I really like the balance of the torque sensing.
I think a lot of Americans rely on the faster ebikes to ride in traffic though since the infrastructure sucks.