kW to HP Converter
Convert an electric-motor or EV peak-power figure labelled in kilowatts into mechanical (imperial) horsepower for a US comparison chart.
Updated
How to use
- Enter kilowatts from the nameplate, brochure or OBD reading.
- Read mechanical horsepower. 75 kW is 100.5767 hp; 1 kW is 1.3410 hp.
- Do not treat this as metric PS (Pferdestärke). PS uses 735.5 W, not 745.7 W.
- Kilowatt-hours are energy, not power. This page does not convert kWh.
How it works
European and EV marketing lead with kilowatts. US car ads and generator stickers still lead with horsepower. Mechanical horsepower is 550 foot-pounds per second, which is 745.6998715822702 watts. This page divides kilowatts by 0.7456998715822702. A 110 kW motor is 147.5124 hp. A 150 kW peak EV figure is 201.1533 hp.
Nameplate kW on an industrial motor is often continuous output. Brochure “up to 200 kW” on a car is often a peak, short-duration number. Converting the number does not add drivetrain loss, temperature derate or the difference between wheel power and motor power.
Metric horsepower (PS, cv) is 735.49875 W. A “150 PS” engine is about 110.3 kW, which is 147.9 mechanical hp — not what you get by putting 150 into this converter. If the badge says PS or cv, convert from those watts, or treat the badge as a different unit.
Boiler horsepower and electrical horsepower (746 W exactly, a rounded cousin) appear on older equipment. This page is mechanical hp only.
Energy used on a trip is kilowatt-hours. A 75 kW motor running for one hour uses 75 kWh in a perfect world; real cars are not that. Use the electricity and EV cost tools for bills.
Formula
hp = kW ÷ 0.7456998715822702
Worked examples
A 75 kW continuous motor
75 kW → 100.5767 hp
A 110 kW EV peak rating
110 kW → 147.5124 hp
One kilowatt
1 kW → 1.3410 hp
kW to hp (mechanical)
| kW | hp (mechanical) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.341 |
| 50 | 67.0511 |
| 75 | 100.5767 |
| 100 | 134.1022 |
| 150 | 201.1533 |
| 200 | 268.2044 |
Useful notes
- Mechanical horsepower, the inverse of the HP to kW page.
- Nameplate kW is not the same as energy used (kWh).
- Not metric PS and not boiler horsepower.
FAQ
- How many horsepower is 1 kW?
About 1.341 mechanical horsepower (1 ÷ 0.7457).
- How many hp is 75 kW?
About 100.6 mechanical horsepower (75 ÷ 0.7457). Metric PS is a slightly different unit.
- Why doesn’t 74.57 kW show as 100 hp exactly in the display?
It should, within rounding. 100 × 0.7456998716 = 74.569987… kW. Entering a rounded 74.57 will be a hair off 100.
- Can I use this for metric horsepower?
Not accurately. PS uses 735.49875 W. This page is mechanical hp only.
- Does this convert kWh to horsepower?
No. Kilowatt-hours measure energy over time. Horsepower and kilowatts measure power at an instant.
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