Thank you for your responses! Well I’ve embarrassingly and stupidly overlooked that all e-bikes will be harder to peddle without any resistance due to the weight. So I should scrap everything I had written down and start from square one. This is mostly what it will probably be used for.
They will all be, to some extent. Someone posted about a low-powered, low-weight sporty ebike they had, but this doesn't appear to be what you're looking for, for your wife. Yes, I think you should not worry so much about weight unless you plan to tote the bike around. If it'll live mostly in your garage, it doesn't matter.
How far do you normally ride and do you feel the lectric bike provides you with the advertised range? How do you feel it handles hills?
You weren't asking me, but with minimal effort, and the PAS set to about 15 mph, 20 mile range is pretty easy.
I would also mention that there was nothing wrong with my Lectric. I contacted customer service because they ran a promotion where they included a free folding lock just a week after I bought my bike. I gave them my order # and asked if I could please have a lock. They said yes and sent me one. I thought that was a stand-up thing to do. Component quality is good, except for the stock seat. Brakes, tires, paint, welding, etc. are all good.
I guess a negative is that you can’t test it out prior to purchase?
Yep. You have to depend on reviews for this, or find someone local. Speaking of which, why not fill out your profile a bit more, so we can see where you live. Someone local to you might volunteer you a test ride. I know I would if you're in SE Wisconsin or NE Illinois...
I have had several people say to look for a torque sensor instead of cadence. Would you agree and does the Norco have this? I rarely can find mention of the type of sensor.
For your wife, I would recommend a torque sensor, unless she's the brave sort. Most women will be scared when the motor kicks in; it's unexpected the first time and they don't like to get used to new things that take away any control or safety net from them.
The Level.2 is not the same style at all as the Trek (Electra) cruiser you were looking at. Scratch that one, as it has a forward lean she probably won't like. I think some of the higher-end Electra cruisers have mid drive w/torque sensing. Take a look; they'll have a big lump in front of the cranks.
Lectrics are nicer, but if she'll want it to feel like "a real bike" you can scratch them too. They all have 20" wheels and fat tires, so they don't feel like mechanical bikes. They're also heavier for their spec level because they fold. For example, my XP Lite weighs 40 lbs, but is only a single speed and only has a 350 W motor and a smallish battery. Go to something with mechanical gears and you're adding another 20 lbs. Bottom line is that if you don't need it to fold, don't buy a folding bike.
You'll also notice a lot of eBikes have fat, knobby tires. Don't buy that if she won't be riding offroad. They reduce rolling efficiency and are draggy pulling the knobs through the wind too.
You mentioned that bike shops will provide support. Obviously it would depend on the specific shop, but don’t most bike shops only work on their licensed bikes ie only brands they sell?
Policies vary, but in general, I'd say you're supposition is correct.
I looked a bit on Trek's site and they have a couple that would seem to fit the bill for your wife:
Discover your next great ride with Verve+ Lowstep. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!
www.trekbikes.com
Start your two-wheeled adventure with Townie Go! 5i EQ Step-Thru. See the bike and visit your local Electra retailer. Shop now!
www.trekbikes.com
They both have upright riding positions and mid drive, and are both about $1k above your budget, but I think they're more likely to satisfy and less likely to scare her away than a cheaper eBike with a hub drive. Plus, local support and it's an American company. The Townie has the cruiser style and balloon tires, the Trek has a more modern style and more efficient tires.
One other thing: I bought my first eBike thinking the same thing as you: I wanted to get it for my wife so we could go for bike rides together at more than 5 mph. I would ride my mechanical bike and she would ride the eBike. She didn't like the eBike I picked, though, as it was 74 pounds and she couldn't really handle it. She really didn't like the hub drive w/cadence sensor. (as someone pointed out, they're not always set up very well...) It was a heybike Ranger, for reference.
That set us back awhile, but this past weekend, she rode the Lectric XP Lite ($800) after some more instruction. The single speed mechanical drivetrain made it simpler. It's lighter. Doesn't feel like "a real bike" but she could still handle it. It feels more like a heavy BMX bike, when the seat is low. It was great; I was varying between about 3 mph to 20 mph. I like to go faster on the flats and downhill than she does, but she caught up when we were riding into a headwind or going uphill, which really slows down a fellow on a mechanical bike.