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Isn't it the other way around? One revolution of your pedals gets one revolution of the wheel. Normally you'd get several revolutions out of it. So you need to pedal faster than you're used to, but each push is easier. It's like being in a very low gear suitable for climbing hills.

The penny-farthing solved this problem by having a very large wheel.

When I am in hill climbing gear, I turn more revolutions on my pedals than the tires turn. The higher that ration (pedal turns:wheel turns) the 'easier' it is to pedal, but the more turns you need to go forwards.

A bike that is a 1:1 'fixie' would indeed struggle with hills like the OP suggests. However, this bike has a secret hub within the wheel that does gearing, so you have (iirc) 3 ratios you can use to get up to speed or climb hills.

>A three-speed gearbox in the hub makes starting easier.

It was not direct drive.

It apparently has a gearbox in the hub.

Electric motor though?

The chain is the transmission, and the shifting mechanism works with it. But you can easily have more compact gearboxes directly on the wheel without the need for a chain.