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I wonder if the loud/quiet safety debate will turn into the e-Moto equivalent of the helmet debate that continues to divide the conventional Moto world.  Would hearing aids be required while driving for those with hearing impairments?  Will we be required to waste battery power on noise amplification? 

In theory I have to agree with the last comment.  Transmissions are essentially converters for balancing the torque required to meet throttle controller demands and the rpms required to maintain peak efficiency in motor operation.  Thus, as in transmission uses on conventional vehicles, the varying gear ratios provide desired acceleration.  Conventional transmissions use the top gear as a 1:1 ratio.  So 1 motorshaft revolution equals one final driveshaft revolution.  Single speed ebikes are essentially always in this 'top gear' 1:1 state (excepting for setups using a gear reduction or increase between motorshaft and final driveshaft, but since this is a static ratio scenario it can be considered in the same 'top gear' sense).  Top gear 'overdrive' transmissions such as those in late model twincam harleys go beyond this 1:1 ratio (1 motor rev equals greater than one final drive rev) to provide lower motor rpms at a given steady cruising speed where not much rapid accelerative torque demand is expected.  Shifting gears in a transmission is for staying in the desired rpm range for optimal motor operation...since there's no stalling an emoto at low rpm, and no need to rev up to find the best torque band in the rpm range, I am very interested to see what ratios could be exploited to benefit the power output characteristics of emotors.  Current energy storage chemistry being what it is, increased range would be the obvious focus to work towards...anybody got some real world experimentation they need a test rider for?

Remember also that transmissions bring not only inherent output efficiency losses, but added weight, added maintenance, added mechanical complexity (aka moving parts that will inevitably fail over time), and added complexity of use for the inexperienced rider.  These are all parts of the vehicle design equation that must not be overlooked if the ebike is to maintain its inherent distinctions from and advantages over the conventional hydrocarbon models.