Table of Contents
Welcome to kW to hp, our article about the kilowatt to horsepower conversion.
The unit symbol for kilowatt is kW, and for horsepower the unit symbol is hp.
However, there are different types and definitions of hp, so we use hp(I) for mechanical, aka imperial horsepower, hp(M) for metric horse power, hp(E) for electric horsepower, and hp(S) or bhp for boiler horsepower.
In case of hp(E), the conversion of the unit of power is slightly different in the US and Europe.
Car horsepower usually mean mechanical hp in the US, and metric hp in Europe, where the legacy unit of power is also abbreviated as PS, cv. etc., depending on the language spoken.
We don’t cover tax horsepower, because fiscal power is subject to legislation and change; in contrast, the horsepower covered in this article stand for a unit of measurement of power.
Read on to learn all about the conversion, and check out calculator right below.
Calculator
To use our tool, enter the power in kilowatts, then select the hp unit; our tool defaults to US car hp, hp(I).
Next hit the convert button, and to start over press reset.
If you like to change hp to kW, then visit our home page.
Formulas
To convert the work over time choose the formula that matches your type and geo of horsepower.
- [hp(I)] = [kW] × 1.3410220896
- [hp(M)] = [kW] × 1.3596216173
- [hp(E) US] = [kW] × 1.3404825737
- [hp(E) Europe] = [kW] × 1.3605442177
- [hp(S)] = [kW] × 0.1019299727
Apart from kW to bhp, the difference between the conversions of the same kind is roughly 1.5 percent, so if you are unsure which one to choose you can use either as approximation.
Remember, for cars use mechanical or metric hp, depending on your geo.
And in case that you want to change air hp and hydraulic hp, use the formula for mechanical hp, hp(I).
In any case, the easiest way to change kilowatts to horsepower of any type and standard is using our converter, which you can find at the top of this page.
In the next part of this article, we are going to give you an example for each kilowatts to horsepower transformation.
Kilowatts to Horsepower
To illustrate the kilowatts to horsepower conversion we use the formulas introduced in the 2nd paragraph:
Assumed a Porsche in the US is being advertised with 400 kW, then you multiply the power by 1.3410220896 and obtain the equivalence of 536.41 imperial horsepower.
If the same car is being sold in Europe, e.g. in Switzerland, then multiply the 400 kilowatts by 1.3596216173.
The result in metric horsepower is 543.85 hp.
Supposed an electric motor in Europe consumes 8 kilowatts, then multiply the value by 1.3605442177.
The rate at which work is done is 10.88 European electric horsepower.
To obtain US electric horsepower, the power of the same engine in the United States of America, 8 kW, has to be multiplied by 1.3404825737. The result is 10.72 hp.
Finally, here’s the example kW to bhp (thermal energy rate to evaporate 34.5 lb of water at the temperature of 212 °F in an hour) conversion: 15 kW equal 1.53 bhp ([15] × 0.1019299727).
With the exception of boiler hp, the approximation [hp] = 4/3 × [kW] is quite useful in daily use.
Because a kW is thousand watts, abbreviated 103 W, taking into account our infos you can also answer how many horsepower in a watt, for example.
In the following part of kW in hp we are going to explain an alternative method to change the unit of power, and the summarize our information up using an image.
Bottom Line
If you are still here, then you are reading the conclusion of our article about the power conversion.
You have been told all about kW in hp, and hopefully like our content.
The most frequent transformations in this category are (among many others):
Observe that horsepower is a legacy unit invented by James Watt in the age of steam engines.
Thus, in most countries, the official unit to measure power is watt, usually in the form of kW.
BTW: The car industry may like the unit hp more than kW, because there is always more horsepower than kW, and 134 hp sounds like more than 100 kW, right?
In summary:
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Further details including historical information about the units of power can be found on the referenced sites at the bottom of our home page.
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