Is the Panasonic system just far too complicated, leading to expensive repair bills like this?
Frankly, to my mind, a system that reduces power output just when you are tired and need it is all wrong.
How is it any better than a simple motor, disc of magnets on the crank and a throttle?
Just how can it assist you up that last steep hill when you are near the end of your ride?
Although the Panasonic system is complicated internally, from a user's point of view it is very simple, perhaps one of the most simple.
Coincidently, I was only thinking about this an hour or so ago. The Panasonic unit is a very neat and totally self contained drive system. There are no plugs, connectors, cables, brake cut off switches, cable ties, velcro straps, magnets on disks or any of the other paraphernalia which seems to accompany the rather Heath Robinson hub motor set ups. With the Panasonic, the drive and battery are one and nothing further is required.
They are difficult to repair if a fault develops, but as Scott says, this is an extremely rare event. The unit is built to a very high standard and can withstand anything that you could throw at it. Some have even run them immersed in water without problem. This really is a system which is totally reliable and it is such that being let down never crosses your mind.
The unit does not reduce power as your legs tire, quite the reverse. As your legs tire and cadence reduces, the power delivery increases. This tends to coax more effort out of the rider, but somehow, you don't notice it. Think of it as a magic hand moving at a constant speed behind you. You can outpace the hand and leave it behind, but as you tire, the hand catches up and you fall back into the comfort of it's assistance. It's a very ingenious invention.
This self contained ultra reliable unit aside, the remainder is very much standard bike fodder so should not present any difficulties for a regular bike shop. Unlike their hub motored cousins with the wires, straps and swithchs which perhaps need a more extensive netetwork of specialised support support, or a garden shed stocked with an enviable selection of screwdrivers and self adhesive tape.
Personally, I view hub motor bikes, particulary those with the Panasonic and Bosch systems as, "proper ebikes". The others just seem like a cobbled together compromise marketed with varying degrees of professionalism. But this is just a personal view.
