Get a thermistor installed in the hub motor and have a controller that can read it and save your motor.
I should have done that with my mxus 45H 3kw hub motor, and it would have been saved from melting. That hub motor was heavy a.f. and I never used it to its potential, I actually used it quite under its potential but I am pleased with the 5T? or 6T? (Might be better off with higher Turn Count motor like 8-10T, I never use the top bit of 52V for speed, just hills, but 36V I use all of it most of the time for flat cruising and hills.) Leaf 35H 1.5kw hub motor I have now as its much lighter then the 45h hub motor and has suited my needs.
- I just need the power for the hills for whatever mood I am in, whether I want to pedal, break a sweat and lose extra pounds, or be a lazy frock and not pedal as I used to be. Even a half assed, half pedaling, half not pedaling + diet = lost a ton of weight. With zero p.a.s., only throttle and the cruise function of the cheap generic controller. I found I just needed a pleasurable ride, having all the gears working properly, 3x8 has cheap chains, derailleurs and gears I have no need to afix more expensive parts like 1x12, and it doesnt really matter as ebikers like us generally only use 3 or 4 gears. For myself I like the option of having cruising gears with low cadence, having the choice to switch gears for a higher cadence but also that 2-4% of the time I run into a big hill I can go 22-24 crank gear and 34 rear gear for hill climbing. All other hills the middle 38 crank + 34 rear is fill as most hills are short so I can just power up, speed up to them and throttle on up them. However there are some 15' zig zags up the hill which slows me right down but 38 crank 30-34 rear is fine.
In general, taking steep hills with a hub motor just requires lots and lots of watts.
I have played around with low power, wimpy, low wattage setups and it was not pleasurable because I preferred not to pedal at that time.
At some point, there is a huge huge difference with increasing wattage, not pedaling and going up hills.
That all depends on your total weight, the kv of the hub motor, diameter of the wheel, and the power (battery + controller)
Mid drives are not needed for the majority of cases.
It might be the case for the scared people or those who buy and get ripped off by OEM low power wimpy ebikes and who have a certain amount of hills, but one or two hills using a hub motor that you can run up to it with speed, have good gearing, and sufficient watts (not 250W, not 500W but be an illegal criminal go to jail do not pass go scared mofo type 1200-1500W ---- Just ride with common sense, and courtesy)