Real Motors Project Ares: 100 hp and a 13.4 or 15 kWh Pack

Project Ares is a reported $20,000 electric café racer from Real Motors of Greenville, South Carolina. The Verge’s Tim Stevens rode a prototype and published on 10 November 2026. Real Motors’ own Project : ARES page, read 11 November 2026, prints 100 horsepower and 1,000 N·m. It prints no price, no range, and no weight. Other pages fill those in, and they do not always agree. This desk lists each source’s number on its own line. Nothing here is averaged. The nearest bikes already on this desk are the Zero SR/F and the Zero Project Ventura.

How much power does Project Ares make?

Real Motors says 100 horsepower, as tested on a dynamometer with a prototype 15 kWh battery pack. The Verge, 10 November 2026, prints 101 horsepower. autoevolution, 5 August 2026, says a peak of up to 75 kW. TechBullion, 1 October 2026, reports a 65 kW motor drive from the company’s release. Those are two different claims. One hundred horsepower is 74.6 kW, so the 100 hp and 75 kW lines read as one claim. Sixty-five kW is 87.2 horsepower. That is not 100. No page prints a continuous rating. If Lot 01 uses the 13.4 kWh pack, the dyno pack is not the production pack. No page says which one the 100 was measured against beyond the 15 kWh footnote. The Verge also says things are not final.

One hundred horsepower is 74.6 kW. Sixty-five kW is 87.2 horsepower. Three packs, two ranges, one prototype.

How big is the Project Ares battery?

Real Motors’ footnote names a prototype 15 kWh pack. TechBullion, 1 October 2026, reports a 13.4 kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese battery for Lot 01. autoevolution, 5 August 2026, says packs run from 12 kWh to 15 kWh. The Verge, 10 November 2026, says roughly 15 kWh and that things are not finalized. That is three different numbers, so none is averaged. Real Motors’ page says the final configuration is disclosed before production begins. The Verge says the pack charges at up to 3.3 kW over a J1772 port. Fifteen divided by 3.3 is 4.5 hours. Thirteen point four divided by 3.3 is 4.1 hours. Both are floors, because chargers taper near full. No source prints a charge time.

How far will Project Ares go on a charge?

The Verge, 10 November 2026, says the spec sheet lists 120 miles in the city. Its rider did not come close, with the throttle pinned open much of the day. autoevolution, 5 August 2026, says as much as 140 miles in peak road conditions. Real Motors’ page prints no range. One chip is a city number. The other is a best-case number. They are not the same claim. Divide watt-hours by miles to see what each chip assumes. The watt-hour page is the arithmetic. The range page is why a chip is not a loop.

Is Project Ares really 1,000 N·m?

Yes, as a wheel figure. Real Motors prints 1,000 N·m at the rear wheel, with a 12/45 sprocket setup. That is 738 pound-feet, which The Verge and autoevolution both print. The Verge adds its own estimate. Measured the usual way, at the motor, it says the torque is probably closer to 200 pound-feet. That estimate is The Verge’s, not Real Motors’. A 45-tooth sprocket over a 12-tooth sprocket is 3.75. Seven hundred thirty-eight divided by 3.75 is 196.8. That is this desk’s arithmetic. It only holds if the motor shaft feeds the 12-tooth sprocket directly, and no page says so.

How much does Project Ares cost, and when does it ship?

TechBullion, 1 October 2026, reports $20,000 for Lot 01, with a fully refundable $500 deposit. The Verge, 10 November 2026, says it starts at $20,000. Real Motors’ page, read 11 November 2026, prints no price. Lot 01 is limited to 250 bikes worldwide. North America delivery is early 2027, after the Alpha Build and Founder’s Edition runs. EU and GCC delivery is Q1 2027, after homologation. autoevolution, 5 August 2026, says the Founder’s Edition was $19K and sold out. Price checked 11 November 2026. The $20,000 comes from press pages, not from a cart this desk opened.

How heavy is it, and is it a finished bike?

The Verge, 10 November 2026, says the bike it rode weighs 485 pounds. autoevolution, 5 August 2026, says as little as 215 kg, or 474 pounds, estimated. That bike was “Prototype 04.” It had no mirrors. Its CEO told The Verge it had neither traction control nor antilock braking. The Verge says buyers can spec Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes. Real Motors’ own page says, “Please do not treat it as a product.” It also says the final configuration is disclosed before production begins. Treat every number on this page as a prototype number.

Who is Project Ares for?

It is for a buyer who wants 100 horsepower, a limited run, and a design object, and who can wait for early 2027. The Verge calls it heavier and more cruiser-like than its café racer shape suggests. It is not a commuter e-bike and it is not a bicycle. The Zero Project Ventura is the other 2027 electric street bike on this desk. Skip Ares if you need a published range loop, a final battery number, or a ride-away date. None of those exist yet. This desk did not ride it.