I agree. Also, in many jurisdictions, e-bikes cannot have a throttle and must only add power to pedaling to qualify as a bike and not a vehicle that requires a

I agree. Also, in many jurisdictions, e-bikes cannot have a throttle and must only add power to pedaling to qualify as a bike and not a vehicle that requires a license. And the FreeDrive thing linked looks like a $1000+ component by itself, and bills itself as allowing new bicycle architectures. Most press about it is about high-end cargo bikes. I don't find its existence very compelling as support of the author's claims.