Also, I don't think a quick release will work for this. The motor needs to push against the bike in order to move the wheel relative to the bike. A quick release will slip.
Look more closely at your bicycle. The axle doesn't turn in the dropout. Rather, the hub shell turns around the axle. That's why the bearings are mounted in the shell rather than in the dropouts.
Actually I think their pill-shaped peg that slides into the dropout but won't turn within it is kind of brilliant. A very simple solution, and there is no reason it couldn't accommodate a quick release skewer.
I agree that bicycle weight is a fairly minor consideration for commuting in moderately hilly areas; I've ridden a longtail that's close to 50 lbs. for years. Maybe I don't notice the weight because I am a fat bastard.
I know how wheels work. Look closely with a bike that is internally-geared or that has a drum brake. The hub is secured to the frame or has an antirotation washer installed to prevent the hub from rotating.:
Remember Newton's law of motion here: for every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. As the motor drives the wheel forward, the resistance from the street will try to spin the motor backwards, causing the hub to spin in the dropouts. That's why a quick release alone isn't adequate for internally-geared hubs, drum brakes, or motors.
You assume that they need anti-rotation washers, but it's clear from the video that they have a better solution: the pill-shaped peg I mentioned already. See here for the device installed with a QR skewer for a test ride:
Look more closely at your bicycle. The axle doesn't turn in the dropout. Rather, the hub shell turns around the axle. That's why the bearings are mounted in the shell rather than in the dropouts.
Actually I think their pill-shaped peg that slides into the dropout but won't turn within it is kind of brilliant. A very simple solution, and there is no reason it couldn't accommodate a quick release skewer.
I agree that bicycle weight is a fairly minor consideration for commuting in moderately hilly areas; I've ridden a longtail that's close to 50 lbs. for years. Maybe I don't notice the weight because I am a fat bastard.