It's a very individual-specific question. It's very close to what I run for my commute, and I like it fine. You may find it different. 90% of the time, my Alfine 8 gives me all the gearing I need. Every now and then I find myself wishing for a little more at one end or the other.
I personally think that 38/20 is a bit high, if you have a lot of hills on your commute.
I have a Giant TranSend EX, which came "factory" set up with 33/20, and the older Alfine sg-s 500 hub. Its a commuter with 700c wheels, and its gearing feels about right to me.
One would think that Giant might know what they are doing.
With an A8, that will give you a low gear of 1:1, and a high gear ratio of 3.07:1.
Probably a decent setup for fairly flat terrain, but I'd want something lower if there were any hills involved. My 1.625 primary is great for mountain biking in Colorado, but spins out at about 20mph. For commuting, a primary ratio of 1.7-1.8 would be a good all around setup.
Alfine cogs are really cheap. Just grab a few and play around with your gearing until you hit the sweet spot for your riding.
I've run mine as low as 32T x 23T, but that was for offroad riding.
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